Class IB p 3l ^qSl5' 

Book -H^ 

Cop)TightN^.___ 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



THE TESTIMONY OF 
THE WITNESSES 



A DEVOTIONAL AND HOMILETICAL EXPOSITION 

OF 

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



of A. HILLS, D.D. 

Pastor-Emeritus of the Westminster (University) 
Presbyterian Church, Wooster, O. 

AUTHOR OF "companion CHARACTERS," " CARMINA SUBSECIVA,' 

"new shafts in the old mine" 



NEW YORK 
THOMAS NELSON AND SONS 

LONDON EDINBURGH PARIS 



' Copyright 1913 
By 07A. HILLS 



The Bible text used in this volume is taken from the American Standard Edition 
of the Revised Bible, copyright 1901 by Thomas Nelson & Sons. 



©CI.A351223 
^ / 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

A DEVOTIONAL AND HOMILETICAL 

EXPOSITION 

OF 

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 



"Ye shall be my witnesses both (i) in Jerusalem, and (2) in all Judea and 
Samaria, and (3) imto the uttermost part of the earth." — Acts 1:8. 



I 



THE INTRODUCTION 
I: i-n 



PREFACE. 



A comprehensive survey of the contents of the Acts of the 
Apostles would probably raise the question, Is not the title of the 
book a misnomer? It is not difficult to find some justification for 
calling it the Acts of Peter, John and Paul : but, where nine of the 
original twelve are mentioned by name but once, and in a general 
and collective way in but two or three other places, one can hardly 
accept the common title as the most fitting designation of the entire 
book. And we are glad to believe that the name is not inspired. 

We may find a more appropriate name for the work, if we 
note the fact that Luke's plan seems to cover the teachings as well 
as the doings of these founders and propagators of the new faith. 
He evidently follows, in a general way, the program outlined by 
our Lord in the eighth verse of the first chapter, — "Ye shall be 
my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and 
unto the uttermost part of the earth." But an undeviating adher- 
ence to this scheme was not in his thought. And so we have the 
conversion of Paul in the second division, and the first Christian 
Council in the third. The introduction of these topics seems, at 
first sight, to interrupt the flow of the narrative; but they are soon 
seen to be essential to the completeness of the chronicle, and their 
place in the story could not be well improved. These were great 
events; but it was especially of vast moment to record not only 
what was done, but also what was said in connection with each 
of them. 

And this is true of the entire history. The character and 
success of the work accomplished by the apostles have always been 
to Bible students of such absorbing interest as measurably to throw 
into the background the fact that the history may be also — and 
perhaps ought chiefly to be — regarded as a record of things said, — 
of things said with a particular end in view, — and said by certain 
men trained and qualified for the special purpose of saying them, 
and of so saying them as to lead men to believe them. And Luke's 
record is a record of this "Testimony of the Witnesses." To make 

vii 



PREFACE 



this record seems to have been Luke's chief concern. This apparent 
purpose may perhaps explain the fragmentary character of much 
of his chronicle, and make clear the fact that his mind, Divinely 
guided, was not so intent on the continuity of his story, as upon 
seizing salient points where he might couple Divine teachings with 
Divinely prepared events and peoples. 

What the apostles were commissioned to say they were to say 
as witnesses. The resurrection of Christ was the great event they 
were to attest. "Him God raised up the third day, and gave Him 
to be made manifest not to all the people, but unto witnesses that 
were chosen before of God, even to us who ate and drank with 
Him after He rose from the dead." They were not qualified to 
give testimony to this most stupendous fact in human history, 
unless they had seen the Lord alive after His death on the Cross 
and burial in Joseph's tomb. This qualification they all possessed, 
and therefore "with great power gave the apostles their witness of 
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." But manifestly one needs no 
special endowment of power simply to bear witness to a fact. And 
the fact of Christ's resurrection came to the multitudes with great 
power, because the witnesses were able, through their Divine 
endowment of power, to so connect the fact with the prophecies 
going before, and the swift following consequences, that none 
might fail to see that a new era was beginning in God's dealings 
with His people, and that a brighter day was dawning for Zion. 

And so in the Acts we have the great fact of the resurrection 
of Christ solemnly and indubitably attested ; and this fact is shown 
to be so interlaced with the history of the Church, on the one 
hand, and with the coming triumphs of the Church, on the other, 
that, as that history plainly evidences the hand of God, so clearly 
is the future radiant with blessings for the new faith. We are 
interested in the history, and we rejoice in the promises to Zion. 
But we must never forget, — and certainly not in these days of 
scepticism as to the resurrection, — that the one thing established 
by apostolic testimony under runs the entire book of the Acts, and 
binds together into one solid mass the irrefutable witness of the 
primitive disciples to the truth of this fundamental tenet of our 
Christian faith. The things done have no meaning apart from 
the great and solemnly certified fact of the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead. 

viii 



PREFACE 



It is believed that a study of the Acts of the Apostles from 
this point of view will be found worth while. It will bring into 
fresh and vivid realization the fact, which many in our day seem 
willing to surrender, that Christ is indeed "risen from the dead." 
No less clearly, it is hoped, will this study show that the whole 
supernatural system of Christianity stands or falls with this funda- 
mental fact so indubitably established by "The Testimony of the 
Witnesses." 

A few words may not be out of place as to the character of this 
Exposition. It is not a critical commentary. The author has taken 
the text of the American Standard Revision as on the whole the 
best reproduction of the original, and has written with a view 
to help the plain Bible student in his devotional reading, and the 
young minister in his pulpit preparation. For the former, the 
analyses of the text, and the division of the comment into corre- 
sponding sections will, it is hoped, be found really helpful; and 
for the latter, these numbered sections may often suggest expository 
discourses, while the homiletical hints and sermon-outlines, (not 
intended for servile copying), may sometimes stimulate a tired 
brain, and provoke many lines of original thought. The outlines 
may, indeed, hurt the lazy minister, but can hardly fail to be helpful 
to the diligent student, indicating as they do the trend of thought 
of many master minds who have garnered on these holy fields. 

These helps have been gathered in a painstaking examination of 
more than four thousand volumes of sermons met with in some 
of the largest libraries of the country, to the shelves of which free 
access was accorded the author by the efficient curators of these 
great literary treasures. This wide survey of sermonic literature 
reveals the fact that preachers have not found the Acts of the 
Apostles a fruitful field for texts and pulpit themes, compared with 
the Gospels and larger epistles: and the chapters chiefly drawn 
upon for this purpose are hardly more than a half-dozen, while 
the favorite text in each of them is not difficult of conjecture. It 
is confidently believed that the study of Luke's record, emphasizing 
the testimony rather than the history, will bring to light rich stores 
of homiletical material not commonly subsidized by the ministry 
of the Word. 

The author has now finished the work which has been on his 
mind for well-nigh thirty years, and to which he has given diligent 

ix 



PREFACE 



study for five years since his enforced retirement through ill-health 
from the active pastorate. The completion of the Exposition so 
nearly synchronizes with the end of his fifty years in the blessed 
work of the Gospel Ministry that it seems likely to be the last 
loving service of a public nature which he can hope to render to 
the Lord, whose he is and whom he serves. To His gracious care 
and blessing it is humbly committed, as it now goes forth on its 
mission of helpfulness to those for whom it has been prepared. 

O. A. Hills. 

WOOSTER, O., 

November 25th, 1912. 

X 



SYLLABUS. 



1. THE INTRODUCTION:— I :i-ii. 

1. A Summary of Luke's Gospel, — i :i-5. 

2. The Final Interview, — i :6-8. 

3. The Ascension, — 1 19-1 1. 

11. THE PREPARATION OF THE WITNESSES;— i :i2 2:13. 

1. The Return to the Upper Room, and to Prayer, — 1:12-14. 

2. Filling the Vacancy, — i : 15-26. 

3. Endowing the Witnesses with Power, — 2:1-13. 

DIVISION 1. 
WITNESSES "IN JERUSALEM."— II : 14 VII :6o. 

1. The Testimony of Peter, Aided by the Eleven; — ^2:14-47. 

The Comprehensive and Convincing Character of This Testi- 
mony, — 2. : 14-36. 
(2) The Effect of Peter's Testimony,— 2 :37-47. 

2. The Testimony of Peter and John, — 3:1 ^4:31. 

(1) The Miracle,— 3:1-11. 

(2) The Address, — ^3:12-26. 

(3) The Arrest, — ^4:1-12. 

(4) The Release, — ^4:13-22. 

(5) The United Prayer,— 4:23-31. 

3. The Testimony of True and False Witnesses; — 4:32 5:16. 

(1) The Self-Sacrificing Believers, — 4:32-37. 

(2) The Self-Seeking Hypocrites,— 5 :i-ii. 

(3) Works of Mercy and Healing, — 5:12-16. 

4. The Testimony of the Prisoners; — 5:17-42. 

5. The Testimony of Stephen; — 6:1 7:60. 

(1) The Rise of the Proto-Martyr,— 6 :i-8. 

(2) His Controversy with the Foreign Jews, — 6:9-15. 

(3) His Defence before the Sanhedrin, — 7:1-60. 

xi 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



DIVISION 11. 



WITNESSES "IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA;"— VIII :i 

XII :2S. 

1. The Testimony of the Persecuted; — 8:1-4. 

2. The Testimony of the Evangelists in Samaria; — 8:5-25. 

3. The Testimony of Philip before the Eunuch; — 8:26-40. 

4. A New Witness Called; — 9:1-30. 

(1) The Heavenly Vision, — Vss. 1-9, * 

(2) The Messenger's Ministry, — Vss. 10-19^. \ 

(3) Saul the Evangelist, — ^Vss. 196-30. f 

5. The Testimony of Peter at Lydda and Joppa; — 9:31-43. 

6. The Testimony of Peter before Cornelius; — 10:1-48. 

(1) The Vision of Cornelius, — 10:1-8. 

(2) The Vision of Peter, — 10:9-230. 

(3) The Aleeting and Testimony, — 10:236-48. 

7. The Testimony of Peter before the Circumcision; — 11:1-18. 

8. The Testimony OF Barnabas; — 11:19-30. 

9. The Testimony of Peter's Deliverance; — 12:1-25. 

(1) Herod's Day of Power, — 12:1-19. 

(2) Herod's Day of Doom, — 12:20-25. 



DIVISION III. 

WITNESSES "UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE 
EARTH."— XIII :i XXVIII :3i. 

Part L — The Missionary Journeys, — 13:1 ^21:16. 

I. The Testimony of Paul and Barnabas, — The First Missionary 
Journey ; — 13 :i 14 :28. 

(1) The Missionary Commission, — 13:1-3. 

(2) In Cyprus,— 13 :4-i2. 

(3) At Antioch in Pisidia, — 13:13-52. 

(4) At Iconium, — 14:1-7. 

(5) At Lystra and Derbe, — 14:8-210. 

(6) The Return,— 14:216-28. 

xii 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. The Testimony of the First Christian Council; — 15:1-35. 

(1) The Report— 15:1-5. 

(2) The Deliberation, — 15:6-21. 

(3) The Letter,— 15 :22-35. 

3. The Testimony of Paul and Silas;— The Second Missionary 

Journey ; — 15 :36 18 :22. 

(1) The Contention; — 15:36-40. 

(2) Old and New Places, — 15:41 16:10. 

(3) At Philippi, — 16:11-40. 

(a) The Praying Place, — 16:11-13. 

(b) Lydia, the Seller of Purple, — 16:14-15. 

(c) The Pythoness, — 16:16-22. 

(d) The Jailer, — 16:23-40. 

(4) At Thessalonica and Bercea, — 17:1-15. 

(5) At Athens,— 17:16-34. 

(6) At Corinth, and the End of the Second Missionary Journey, 
— 18:1-22. 

4. The Testimony of Paul and his Companions; — ^The Third Mis- 

sionary Journey. — 18 :23 ^21 :i6. 

(1) Phrygia and Galatia Revisited,— Vs. 18:23. 

(2) Apollos, — 18:24-28. 

(3) The Awakening at Ephesus, — 19:1-20. 

(4) "Diana of the Ephesians," — 19:21-41. 

(5) Macedonia and Achaia Revisited, — ^20:1-3. ; 

(6) The Return Journey, — 20:4 21:16. 

(a) Incidents en route, — ^Vss. 4-16. 

(&) Paul's Address at Miletus, — ^Vss. 17-38. 
{c) Miletus to Jerusalem, — ^Vss. 21 :i-i6. 

Part II. — The Testimony of Paul the Prisoner; — 21:17 ^28:31. 

1. The Preliminary Events, — 21 : 17-40. 

(1) The Fruitless Device, — ^21 : 17-30. 

(2) The Apostle's Arrest, — ^21 :3i-40. 

2. The Testimony on the Stairs, — ^22:1-22. 

3. Before the Chief Captain, — ^22:23-29. 

4. Paul's Last Testimony in Jerusalem, — ^22:30 ^23:35. 

(1) Before the Council,— 22 :30— 23 : 11. 

(2) The Conspiracy,— 23:12-35. 
(a) Concocted, — 12-15. 
(&) Discovered, — 16-22. 
(c) Thwarted,- 23-35. 

xiii 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

5. Before Felix,— 24:1-27. 

6. Before Festus, — 25:1-12. 

7. Before Agrippa, — ^25:13 — 26:32. 

8. While Journeying to Rome, — 27:1 ^28:16. 

(1) The Voyage, — 27:1-13, 

(2) The Tempest,— 27:14-38. 

(3) The Wreck,— 27 :39-44- 

(4) The Stay in Malta,— 28 :i-io. 

(5) The Arrival in Rome,— 28:11-16. 

9. Life in Rome, — ^28:17-31. 

xiv 



THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



L THE INTRODUCTION; I I. 

Section i. — A Summary of Lukes Gospel, — 1:1-5. 

I The former treatise I made, O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus began 
both to do and to teach, 2 until the day in which He was received up, after 
that He had given commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the apostles 
whom He had chosen : 3 to whom He also showed Himself alive after His 
passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the space of forty days, 
and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God : 4 and, being assem- 
bled together with them, He charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but 
to wait for the promise of the Father, which, said He, ye heard from me : 
5 for John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy 
Spirit not many days hence. 



I. The general reference of the writer, vs. i. 2. The Lord's parting com- 
mands, vs. 2. 3. The many proofs of the Lord's resurrection, vs. 3. 4. 
The Saviour's final charge, vss. 4 and 5. 



I. The general reference of the writer, — vs. i. 

The Gospel according to Luke "traces the course of all things 
from the first" to the day of the Lord's ascension. It is a record 
of what "Jesus began both to do and to teach." The EvangeHst 
does not profess to tell us all that the Lord did and taught. He 
would say with John, "There are also many other things which 
Jesus did, the which if they should be written every one, I suppose 
that even the world itself would not contain the books that should 
be written." He mentions only the beginnings of the Lord's work 
and words. 

It is worthy of note that Luke emphasizes the Lord's doing 
as well as His teaching. Many love to dwell upon His teaching, 
who have little to say of His doing, — especially of that culmination 

I 



I: I] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



of His doing when for our sins He poured out His soul unto death. 

The wonderful brevity of this summary is notable. A single 
line sums the entire Gospel, up to the forty days of our Lord's 
post-resurrection life, and especially up to the occurrences of the 
one crowning day of His earthly sojourn. 

* 

Verse i. Fruitful lessons may be drawn from comparatively unknown 
characters of the Scriptures. Theophilus, otherwise unknown in the primi- 
tive Church, is immortalized through his intimacy with Luke. A lover of 
God and Divine things, as his name implies, that name is had in everlasting 
remembrance in connection with two of the most wonderful books of the 
Bible. — Vs. i. The self-imposed limitations of the Divine Revelation. It 
might have told us much more. It chose to tell us only "the beginnings" of 
what Jesus did and said. This must ever be remembered, if we would 
rightly interpret what has been revealed. — Vs. i. There is an inseparable re- 
lation between our Lord's works and His word. We cannot hope to under- 
stand the one if we ignore the other. And the truth is universal; duty and 
doctrine can never be divorced. "If any man is willing to do he shall know," 
— ^John 7:17. — Vs. I. The really effective teacher must be also a doer. In 
this it is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as 
his Lord. — Vs. i. "Truth it is, that the manners of a good and godly teacher 
ought so to be framed that he speak first with his life, then with his tongue, 
otherwise he should differ nothing from a stage-player." — Calvin. 

Vs. I. Doing and Teaching. 

The preacher must be concerned 
I. About his manner of life among his fellow-men. 
II. About the character of his teaching. 

III. This is the Divine order of his concern, — "Take heed (i) to thyself, 
and (2) to thy teaching." — I Tim. 4:16. 



2. The Lord's parting commands, — vs. 2. 

These commands came to the disciples ''through the Holy 
Spirit." A special Divine influence attended these post-resurrection 
revelations of our blessed Lord. He breathed on them, and said, 

* It will be observed that the Homiletical Hints and Sermon Outlines fol- 
low immediately after the sections of the Exposition to which they severally 
pertain, being separated from the same by a line, as here, and further distin- 
guished also by the smaller type in which the text and various analyses of 
the same appear. The outlines not otherwise credited are the author's own. 

2 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[1:2-3 



''Receive ye the Holy Spirit." It was the enlightening Spirit who 
opened their understandings that they might understand the 
Scriptures. 

These final commands to a few chosen men was a marked and 
distinguishing feature of the new dispensation. This is abundantly 
evident in the testimony of the witnesses, as Peter asserts in the 
home of the centurion, "Him God raised up the third day, and 
gave Him to be made manifest, not to all the people, but unto 
witnesses that were chosen before of God, even to us, who ate 
and drank with Him after He rose from the dead." The nature, 
necessity, scope and value of this human testimony to the fact 
of the resurrection of Christ are thus declared in unmistakable 
terms. 

The apostles were themselves convinced of the resurrection, by 
many proofs; and now they are to go forth to convince their 
fellow-men of the certainty of this wondrous revelation. 

Vs. 2. Christ Filled with the Spirit. 



I. At His baptism. 
II. At His temptation. 
III. In His preaching. 



IV. In His miracles. 
V. In His sacrifice. 
VI. In His instructions to His disci- 
ples — {Bonar, Rev. Dr. Horace). 



3. The many proofs of the Lord's resurrection, — vs. j. 

These "many proofs" had accumulated upon the minds of these 
chosen men with overwhelming power. He appeared first to 
Mary Magdalene, — then to the women returning from the sepul- 
chre, — then to Peter, then to Cleopas and his companion, — then to 
the ten, — then to the eleven, — then to the seven, — then to the more 
than five hundred brethren at once, — then to James, — and, last of 
all, to the apostolic company immediately before His ascension. 
*Tt was not one person but many who saw Him; — they saw Him 
not only separately but together, not only by night, but by day, — 
not at a distance but near, — not once but many times; — they not 
only saw Him, but touched Him, conversed with Him, ate with 
Him, and examined His person to satisfy their doubts." — (Paley). 

3 



1:2-3] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



And this is Luke's summary of it all, — ''He showed Himself alive 
after His passion by many proofs, appearing unto them by the 
space of forty days." 

More conclusive than any and all other evidence that their 
risen Lord was actually before them must have been what He 
said to them, for He was frequently "speaking to them the things 
concerning the kingdom of God." Would we might know more 
fully what things these were which He had to say concerning the 
kingdom ! Doubtless His heart-stirring expositions of the teachings 
of Moses and the prophets, which He gave to the wondering 
Cleopas and his friend, must have been a part of His glorious 
revelation of the mysteries of His Messianic Kingdom. And, as 
they went forth to proclaim the truth which they had learned, 
they could say, ''We do not follow cunningly devised fables, when 
we make known unto you the power and coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." 

Vs. 3. The Evidence of Our Saviour's Resurrection. 

I. His appearances to His disciples after His death and passion. 

II. The proofs of the reality of His appearances. 

III. The duration and continuance of His appearances to them. 

IV. The subject matter of His discourse with them. 

Archbishop Tillotson. 

Vs. 3. The Two Stories about the Resurrection. 

I. The body of Christ had been stolen. This we cannot believe, because 

1. The grave was under the guard of soldiers. 

2. It was the time of the Passover, with its full moon and thronging 

multitudes. 

3. There was no evidence of theft in the appearance of the grave. 

4. The disciples could have had no motive for hiding the body of Jesus. 

5. The evidence of the soldiers is absolutely untrustworth}^ 

6. The conduct of the Jewish rulers shows that the}^ did not believe 

the story themselves. 

II. The Lord had risen. This story we accept, because 

1. A great many witnesses certify to its truth. 

2. These witnesses met our Lord in a great variety of circumstances. 

3. These witnesses were strangely incredulous. 

4. Their testimony was not uniform indeed, but unanimous. 

4 



THE INTRODUCTION [1:4-5 

5. Their enemies could not answer the question, "What became of the 

body?" 

6. The witnesses staked everything upon the truth of their testimony. 

7. The Descent of the Holy Spirit was the crowning evidence of the 

Resurrection. 



4. The Saviour's final charge, — vss. 4 and 5. 

For this great and solemn mission to a lost world the apostles 
needed the special help of superhuman powers ; and for this help 
the Lord charges them to wait. They were to wait, not in Galilee, 
but in Jerusalem, — not in the wilderness, but in the city, — in the 
city the scene of His sufferings, the scene of the betrayal, of the 
denial, of the universal forsaking. Here amidst bitter, touching, 
tender memories they were to wait. 

They were to await the promise of the Father. The Lord's 
reference to this promise must have carried them back to His lov- 
ing words in the upper room. 'T will pray the Father, and He 
shall give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, 
even the Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive : for it 
beholdeth Him not, neither knoweth Him : ye know Him ; for He 
abideth with you and shall be in you." "The Comforter, even the 
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall 
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I 
said unto you." ''When the Comforter is come, whom I will send 
unto you from the Father, He shall bear witness of Me." 'Tf I go 
not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I go I will 
send Him unto you." — John 14:16-17 and 26, — 15-26 and 16:7. 

It was the Father's promise to the Son. It did not therefore 
depend upon the fulfillment of any condition on the part of 
fallible man. The glorious promise of the Holy Spirit, in whose 
blessing they were to share, was a matter between the Father 
and the Son alone. 

The apostles had probably been baptized of John unto repent- 
ance and remission of sin; now they are to be baptized with the 
Holy Spirit unto the high and holy service whereunto they were 
being called. 

5 



1:6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Verse 4. "Tarry at a promise till the Lord meets you there." — Moody. 

Vs. 4. Waiting for the Promise. 

I. In devout expectancy. 

II. In earnest desire. 

III. In united prayer. 

IV. In seclusion from the world. 

V. With one accord in one place — (Cousin^ Rev. William). 

Vs. 5. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

L What is it? 

II. Is it now attainable? 

III. What are some of its consequences? 

IV. What will secure it? 

V. When may we look for it? — {HatHeld, Rev. Dr. E. F.) 

Section 2. — The Final Interview, — 1:6-8. 

6 They, therefore, when they were come together, asked Him, saying, 
Lord, dost Thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said 
unto them, It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath 
set within His own authority. 8 But ye shall receive power, when the Holy 
Spirit is come upon you : and ye shall be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem, 
and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 



I. The apostles' thoughts and questions about the kingdom, vs. 6. 2. The 
Lord's thought and words about the power and the witness, vss. / and 8. 



I. The apostles' thoughts and questions about the kingdom — vs. 6. 

The Lord had spoken to them many "things concerning the 
kingdom of God." The form of their question leads us to infer 
that in His horoscope of the future He had intimated the restora- 
tion and salvation of the covenant people of Israel. 

But the apostles evidently misunderstood their Master. Their 
idea of the kingdom was one thing, His was another and very 
different. He therefore represses their unspiritual curiosity, and 
turns their minds away from useless speculations as to "times or 

6 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[1:7-8 



seasons" to the more important and present concernments of their 
Hfe and work. 

Many in the modern Church may well take this lesson to heart. 
We are not indeed forbidden to study all that has been revealed 
of Zion's future; and we have a right to animate our hopes by 
contemplating and seeking to understand the long line of glorious 
prophecies concerning the Church's welfare. But we may never 
rightly so give ourselves to fixing the times or seasons, and vain 
surmises as to things to come, as to neglect the great and pressing 
work of winning the world to Christ, and so hastening the Church's 
final triumph. 

Vs. 6. The Longing for the Kingdom. 

I. Israel's pathetic cry, as voiced by these disciples. 
II. The Church's perpetual longing. 

III. The earnest prayer of all the saints, — "Lord, tarry not, but come." 



2. The Lord's thought and words about the power and the 
witness, — vss. j and 8. 

To the work and their part in it the Lord calls their special 
attention. They were to receive power through the coming on 
them of the Holy Spirit, and were to be the Lord's witnesses. 

How shall we interpret this "coming upon them" of the Holy 
Spirit? The disciples had received the Holy Spirit before. We 
cannot doubt that (i) they had been the subjects of His saving 
renewal. The Lord had given them (2) the Spirit of illumination 
that they might understand the Scriptures. He had (3) breathed 
on them the Spirit of authority and power to bind the incorrigible 
and to absolve the penitent. And now (4) in a fuller sense they 
are to receive the Holy Spirit as a spirit of power and endowment 
for service in witnessing for their Divine Master. 

And this witnessing, — does it differ from the witnessing with 
which our daily life makes us familiar? Not in any essential 
particular. Witnesses are not retailers of hearsay evidence. They 
must be able to say "We speak that we do know, and testify 
that which we have seen." 

To us of to-day, as to the disciples of old, the Lord is saying, 

7 



1:7-8] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



*'Ye are my witnesses." They were called upon to attest pre- 
eminently the resurrection of Christ (2:22b, and 10:41), and all 
truths growing out of that fact. We are called upon to do the 
same. Not indeed with bodily eyes have we seen the Lord, yet can 
we truly swear that He is risen from the dead and reigns on high 
our sovereign and redeeming Lord. 

The witnesses of old were to begin at Jerusalem. Thence the 
double story of the resurrection started. Here the falsity of the 
one could be best confuted; here the truth of the other could be 
made to shine forth. And from this beginning they were to go 
to their neighbors, — first the near, then the far. Like a conquering 
army they were to sweep the entire land. 



Verses 7-8. "Authority" and "Power," — the latter is might, — the former 
is might with right. — Vss. 7-8. Unspiritnal curiosity would know the "times 
or seasons," the prepared and obedient shall "receive power." — Vss. 7-8. To 
"know" is man's way; to "receive" is the Lord's way. 

Vs. 8. The Lord's Last Words. 

I. He was on His way to a throne of power. 
II. The disciples were themselves to receive power, 
in. That power was to come upon them through the Holy Spirit. 
IV. The abundant adequacy of the promise. "Awake, awake, put on thy 
strength, O Zion." 

Vs. 8. The Promise of Power. 

I. The Power; what is it? 
II. The Witnessing; what is it? 
in. The Coming of the Holy Spirit; what is it? 

Vs. 8. We Are the Lord's Witnesses. 

I. Our testimony must be truthful. 
H. It must be direct, or experimental, not hearsay. 
HI. It must be consistent; life and speech must be in accord. 

Vs. 7. All Futurities Are Under Fatherly Authority. 

1. Do not be anxious about coming times. 
II. Do not expect any new conditions of well-being in the future. 
HI. Expect the fulfillment of all the Divine Promises. 
IV. Cultivate the strongest love for the father. — {The Homilist.) 

8 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[1:8 



Vs. 8. Witnesses for Jesus Christ. 

I. Our Lord Himself, in His sacred Person, is the solemn truth, the glori- 
ous reality, to which His Servants are to bear their witness, 
n. How can we bear witness to a Person? 

HI. In Jesus Christ God made use of this provision of His creative wisdom 

to enter into communion with His creatures. 
IV. Is there anything in our conduct, or our words, anything that we do, 

or that we endure, that really bears witness before the eyes of our 

fellow-men to the life and work of our ascended and invisible 

Saviour? — (Canon Liddon.) 

Vss. 1-8. The Uniqueness of Christ's Earthly Ministry. 
I. It was original and initiatory. 

II. It was resumed in person after his death. — {The Homilist.) 

Vss. 6-1 1. The Parting Promises of the Saviour. 

I. The Promise, "Lo, I am with you always unto the end." 
II. The Promise of His return to judgment. — {S chleiermacher , F. E.) 

Vss. 6-8. Christ's Last Words on Earth. 

I. Words of correction. 

II. Words of encouragement. 

III. Words of direction. 

IV. Words of benediction. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 8. Power for Witness. 

I. Power. 

II. The Source of Power. 

III. The Use of Power. — (Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 

Vs. 8. Witnessing for Christ. 

I. The Preparation for it. 

1. The Human Element: — (i) Receiving Christ's words; — (2) Ear- 

nest prayer. 

2. The Divine Element: — (i) The Ascension; — (2) The Descent of the 

Holy Spirit. 
II. The Testimony. 

1. The Scene of it. 

2. The Character of it; — (i) Bold, — (2) Appropriate, — (3) Consid- 

erate. 

3. The Effect of it; — (i) Exasperating to enemies, — (2) Edifying to 

the brotherhood, — (3) Converting to "the called." 

9 



1:9] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Section 3. — The Ascension, — i:g-ii. 

9 And when He had said these things, as they were looking, He was 
taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they 
were looking steadfastly into heaven as He went behold two men stood by 
them in white apparel; 11 who also said. Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye 
looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into 
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven. 



1. The Lord taken up while His disciples looked and wondered, vs. p. 

2. The message of the men in white, vss. 10 and 11. 



I. The Lord taken up while His disciples looked and wondered, 

— vs. p. 

One cannot fail to be impressed by the ineffable serenity of 
this scene on Olivet. Not until our Lord had finished all He 
had to say was He parted from them. And that parting came, 
as with uplifted hands He was pronouncing upon them His holy 
benediction: and then "a cloud received Him out of their sight." 

Beyond that cloud who can, yet who would not wish to, trace 
the ascension glory? Was it not to this glorious exaltation that 
Paul refers the Psalmist's words, — "When He ascended on high, 
He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men"? Beyond those 
clouds and stars may we not hear the antiphonal songs of the 
welcoming choirs of heaven, — ''Lift up your heads, O ye gates, 
even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory 
shall come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, 
He is the King of glory." 

Vs. 9. Christ's Ascension. 

I. Christ's life in the world is divided into action and doctrine. 

II. The continued acts of Christ are through the Holy Spirit. 

III. While He was speaking the farewell moment arrived. 

IV. Even gazing up into heaven must not be too prolonged or fixed. 

(Dr. Hallock.) 

10 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[I : lo-ii 



Vs. 9. The Mount of Ascension. 

I. The ascension of Jesus Christ is intended to determine the way in 
which we shall now think of Him in His present exalted state. 
II. It signifies to us that He is now clothed with power, and is carrying 
out the work, which He here began, to perfect accomplishment. 

III. It is intended to give us a glimpse into the world beyond the grave; 

and it determines the way in which we shall think of it as well as 
of him. 

IV. It certifies to us that Heaven will be a locality. 

{Purves, Rev. Dr. George T.) 

Vss. 1-14. The Ascending Lord. 

I. Christ ascended that men might believe in Him. 

II. He ascended that men might know him and commune with Him. 

III. He ascended that His people might truly follow Him. 

IV. He ascended that He might be the Spiritual Redeemer of the whole 

world.— (DeWitt, Rev. Dr. John.) 

Vss. 9-1 1. The Ascension of Christ an Illustration of His 

Final Advent. 

I. He ascended in His actuality. 
11. He ascended very unexpectedly. 

III. He ascended in a mysterious grandeur. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 9. Ascension with Christ. 

I. A Lesson of heavenly-mindedness. 

n. A Lesson of simple duty. 

HI. A Lesson of holy fear. 

IV. A Lesson of hope. — (Dean Farrar, F. W.) 



2. The message of the men in white, — vss. lo-ii. 

This message came to men whose every faculty was absorbed 
in the contemplation of the wondrous spectacle which they had 
just witnessed. This surely was not wonderful! As to men in a 
daze the summons came calling them back to sublunary things. 

The reserve of the messengers is notable. They might have 
told these heaven-gazing Galileans much more than they did. They 
emphasized alone the certainty of the Lord's return, — 'This Jesus, 

II 



[ii-oi:iTHE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like 
manner as ye beheld Him going into heaven." 

The doctrine of the Lord's return is made much of in the 
Scriptures. The Church ought to make much more of it than she 
does. Irrespective of the mooted question whether that return is 
to be pre-millennial or post-millennial, it is a great and precious 
promise, to which we look forward every time we gather at the 
Sacramental Table to "proclaim the Lord's death till He come," 
and it must never be forgotten by the Church. Jesus is coming 
back to the world which He has redeemed ! "The King shall 
come to His own." 

This second coming of Christ is variously described in Holy 
Writ, — "The Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father, 
with His angels," — "As the lightning cometh forth from the east, 
and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son 
of man," — "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with 
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of 
God." 

Meanwhile the Lord's followers have something else to do than 
seeking with mortal eyes to penetrate the depths of heaven. The 
witnesses must prepare to give their testimony. 



Vs. II. "This Jesus.'" 
I. A response to our cry for what is permanent. 

II. A pledge of the identity of the saints in heaven with what they were 
on earth. 

III. The proclamation of an available Saviour for men. 

IV. The promise of an abiding friend. 

V. The prophecy of a sure sovereignty. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. II. *Tn Like Manner." 
I. Personally,— II. Visibly,— III. In the clouds.— L. Moody.) 

Vs. II. Too Much Mere Sentiment in Religion. 

I. Too much sentimental interest in the marvelous. 

II. Too much of this in the objective in religion is not good. 

III. Neither is too much of it in the temporary. 

IV. It is possible to have too much even of a good thing. 

{The Homilist.) 

12 



THE INTRODUCTION [1:12-14 



Vss. 1-14. The Ascending Lord. 



I. 
11. 
III. 



The Preparation of the witnesses. 
The Limitation of the witnesses. 

The Attitude of the witnesses. — {Boynton, Rev. G. M.) 



Vss. 1-12. The Ascension of Christ. 



I. 

IL 
IIL 
IV. 



The identification of the Prince Royal. 

The reappointment of the staff. 

The Coronation of the Prince. 

The Heralding of the Return of the King, 



(Campbell Rev. W. R.) 



Vs. 10. The Men in White. 



I. Whence came they? 
II. Why so appareled? 
in. Why two? See Matt. 28:3. 
IV. The message they brought. 

Section i, — The Return to the Upper Room and to Prayer, — 1:12-14. 

12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, 
which is nigh unto Jerusalem, a sabbath-day's journey off. 13 And when they 
were come in, they went up into the upper chamber where they were abiding; 
both Peter and John, and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholo- 
mew and Matthew, James the son of Alphseus, and Simon the Zealot, and 
Judas the son of James. 14 These all with one accord continued steadfastly 
in prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His 
brethren. 



I. The return from Olivet, — vs. 12. 2. The place of assembly, — vs. 13. 3. 
The -first prayer meeting of the Christian Church, — vs. 14. 



The disciples went out on that memorable i8th of May, why 
and whither they probably knew not, but with their Divine Leader. 
"He led them out till they were over against Bethany." 

They returned alone. But what high thoughts must they have 
had of their glorified Master? And what deep questionings must 



I. The return from Olivet, — vs. 12. 



13 



I: 13-14] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



they have had one with another, as they moved down the slope of 
OHvet, and filed up into the narrow streets of the Holy City? 

After their vision of the ascension glory on that fair sweet 
morning of the spring time, how strange must have seemed those 
temple courts and city ways, where so lately they had walked and 
talked with Him now seated on the Heavenly Throne! Never 
before, in coming or going, had they taken such a sabbath-day's 
journey ! 



2. The place of meeting, — vs. Jj. 

This was the ''large upper chamber where they (the apostles) 
were abiding." There is no reason to doubt that this was the 
"large upper-room furnished," where the Lord had instituted the 
Holy Supper, and whence He went forth to Gethsemane. It seems 
to have become a general rendezvous for the followers of the 
Lord Christ. And this is not surprising. A place so full of 
fragrant and tender memories of their Lord's last night on earth 
before He went to Calvary must have possessed for them all an 
irresistible fascination. Tradition says that a Christian Church 
was built on the site of this "upper-room" less than a hundred 
years after the ascension of our Lord. Another report has it that 
Helena, the mother of Constantine, built a Church on the same 
site early in the fourth century. Neither of these stories is improb- 
able but not authentic. All that we certainly know is that here 
was gathered the first assembly of Christian Believers. 



3. The first prayer meeting, — vs. 14. 

The attendants on that first prayer meeting were a notable 
company. They were (i) The eleven apostles, — (2) The women, 
doubtless among them Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and 
Salome, — (3) Mary, the mother of Jesus, — here meeting with her 
fellow-believers, to pray with them to their Lord and hers, but not 
to be prayed to by them, — and (4) The brethren of the Lord. 
These last did not at one time believe in Him (John 7:5), but they 
had now come to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour. And, as 
later clearly appears, a goodly number of other people joined the 
praying circle, so that ultimately a hundred and twenty were num- 
bered in the prayer meeting. 

14 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[1: 14 



Why did they pray ? They had not been directed to pray. The 
Lord had commanded them to wait. But how natural that they 
should wish to keep in loving touch with the Lord who had so 
lately left them, and spend this waiting time in communion with 
Him! 

It seems quite certain also that their steadfastness in prayer 
had reference to the promised power in the coming of the Holy 
Spirit. The Lord had said ''not many days hence." And as 
morning after morning dawned each one would doubtless be in 
his place; and all but unconsciously the query would press for 
answer, Will this be the morning ? Is this the day He will appear ? 



Verse 14. Waiting times come in every believing life. They are not to 
be idle times, but times for strengthening our spiritual forces, and preparing 
to measure up to the oncoming responsibilities. 

Vs. 13. The First Christian Assembly. 

I. They were all there. 
II. Theirs was an attitude of expectancy. 

III. They clung to their absent Lord in believing and loving fellowship. 
Vs. 14. Mary, the Mother of Jesus. 

I. The simple, natural and sober way in which the Scriptures speak of 
"Mary, the mother of Jesus." 
II. The lowly temporal circumstances of "Mary, the mother of Jesus." 

III. The personal character of "Mary, the mother of Jesus." 

IV. The provision made of the Lord from Calvary for "Mary, the mother 

of Jesus." 

V. The last view of "Mary, the mother of Jesus." 

Section 2. — Filling the vacancy, — 1:15-26. 

15 And in these days Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren, and 
said (and there was a multitude of persons gathered together, about a hun- 
dred and twenty), 16 Brethren, it was needful that the Scripture should be 
fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spake before by the mouth of David con- 
cerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus. 17 for he was num- 
bered among us, and received his portion in this ministry. 18 (Now this 
man obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and, falling headlong, 
he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it 



15 



I: 15-20] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



became known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch that in their lan- 
guage that field was called Akeldema, that is, the field of blood). 20 For it 
is written in the book of Psalms, 

"Let his habitation be made desolate, 
And let no man dwell therein:" 

and 

"His office let another take." 

21 Of the men therefore that have companied with us all the time that 
the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, 22 beginning from the bap- 
tism of John, unto the day that He was received up from us, of these must 
one become a witness with us of His resurrection. 

23 And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was sur- 
named Justus, and Matthias. 24 And they prayed, and said. Thou, Lord, 
who knowest the hearts of all men, show of these two the one whom Thou 
hast chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from wdiich 
Judas fell away that he might go to his own place. 26 And they gave lots 
for them; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the 
eleven apostles. 



I. The statement of the case, — vss. 15-20. 2. The action proposed, — vss. 
21-22. 3. The plan carried out, — vss. 23-26. 



I. The statement of the case, — vss. 15-20. 

This statement is made by Peter, who thus early comes to the 
front as the Leader of the Church, to be succeeded later by Paul, 
and still later by John. His statement is made to a considerable 
number of his brethren, — "about a hundred and twenty." 

The apostle calls attention to two important elements in the case, 
viz., (i) The terrible end of the traitor. He does not indeed call 
him the traitor. The ''lenity of his expression" is notable. He 
does not stigmatize him with any opprobrious epithet, or recall 
the treacherous kiss in the garden. In mildest utterance imaginable 
he speaks of Judas as the one ''who was guide to them that took 
Jesus." He dwells rather upon the high place to which he had 
been exalted, "For he was numbered among us, and received his 
portion in this ministry." From this he turns to the deep degrada- 
tion of his fall, — "Now this man obtained a field with the reward 
of his iniquity; and falling headlong he burst asunder in the midst, 

16 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[I: 15-20 



and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the 
dwellers at Jerusalem, in so much that in their language that field 
was called Akeldama, that is, the field of blood." It is possible 
that these words, detailing the traitor's end, are Luke's and not 
Peter's. It is not material to determine the point. There is another 
account of the end of Judas, given by Matthew (27:3-10), which 
some have thought is a contradiction of Luke's narrative. It does 
not seem difficult to reconcile the two stories in all essential par- 
ticulars. All that is necessary is to suppose that the despairing 
renegade, bent on suicide, sought out, in some wild and lonely place, 
some limb of tree or overhanging rock to which he might attach 
his cord with which to hang himself, while down below were gath- 
ered rocks and rubbish and all the foul debris of the city, and 
above them he would be suspended for weeks a grewsome spec- 
tacle, till rotting rope and festering, swollen corpse swaying in 
the wind brought on the awful catastrophe as the narrative here 
describes it. And what more natural than that the rulers, having 
their attention called to it near the close of the fifty days, should 
buy that horrid place with the traitor's blood-money? It was his 
money. He had earned it. And therefore the field of blood was 
his. He ''obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity," and 
there they buried the outcasts and the strangers. 

(2) This terrible end of Judas was in accordance with the 
predictions of Scripture. It was an awful and overwhelming, but 
not unforeseen, catastrophe. The way the apostle speaks of the 
Old Testament prediction is noteworthy. David was no doubt the 
author of the Psalm here quoted. But the Psalm had another 
author. "The Holy Spirit spake before by the mouth of David." 
David uttered these words (Psalm 69:20-25) of his enemies: the 
Holy Spirit, through the Psalmist's tongue, was voicing the sorrows 
of the Son of God, and the destruction of His implacable foes, — 
"Let his habitation be made desolate, and let no man dwell therein," 
— and from another Psalm (109:8), "His office let another take." 



2, The action proposed, — vss. 21-22. 

Wherein lay the necessity of filling the apostolate to the exact 
number it had preceding the defection of the traitor? The full 
reason we may not know. It is enough perhaps to say that they 

17 



1:21-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



were representative of the New Testament Church, as the twelve 
tribes of Israel stood for the Church of Old Testament times. 

There seems to be little foundation for the opinion held by some 
that this whole procedure was premature and in opposition to 
the will of God, and that this substitution of Matthias for Judas 
was a mistake of the early Church under the blundering leadership 
of the impulsive Peter, because Paul had been appointed to take 
the place of the traitor as an apostle, although the call was actually 
given to him only at a later period. Not the least indication is 
given at any time that God had signified His disapproval of this 
election. Paul himself never claimed on any occasion that he 
was one of the Twelve, while, on the contrary, he makes a plain 
distinction between them and himself in i Cor. 15:5. His call 
constituted him the apostle of the Gentiles, and thus he is contra- 
distinguished from the apostles to the Jews. (See Gal. 2:9.) 

The required qualifications of the substitute apostle are clearly 
stated by Peter. He must have been a member of the Lord's house- 
hold from the very beginning of His ministry to the end of it. 
How else could he be a true and faithful witness for his Divine 
Lord? The fact that there were at least two men who could 
measure up to this requisition throws an interesting side-light upon 
the family of Jesus. We have known, from a number of sources, 
that there were several notable women in that household; here 
alone do we learn that there were other men besides the twelve 
in constant attendance upon their Lord. 



3. The plan carried out, — vss. 2^-26. 

This was accomplished in a way that recognized at once their 
responsibility, and their dependence upon a wisdom greater than 
their own. Man's part in filling this vacancy embraced these two 
things, — (i) The choice of those best fitted in their judgment to 
occupy the vacant place, — and (2) Prayer to their Divine Head for 
the manifestation of His sovereign will. More than this they 
were not able to do. That their prayer was addressed to Jesus 
as sovereign Lord is evident; — (i) He is called the ''Lord Jesus" 
in Verse 21, — (2) As the substitute was to be an apostle of Jesus 
it was fitting that the choice should be submitted to Him; — (3) As 

18 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[I : 23-26 



Jesus chose His apostles on earth, so it was needful that He should 
choose the substitute by a direct act from His heavenly glory. 

So the Lord's part in the great business was an immediate 
response to their appeal through the lot. The disciples had learned 
that while "the lot is cast into the lap, the whole disposing thereof 
is of Jehovah." 

Their example confirms our conviction that it is right some- 
times, as in great and solemn emergencies, to appeal to the lot. 
But it is nevertheless a profanation of holy things to make such 
an appeal lightly, and in the minor affairs of life, where the duty 
is laid upon us of deciding an issue in the exercise of our own 
best judgment. The fall of the dice is not a chance, but the order- 
ing of Him who notes the sparrow's fall, and turns the stars in 
their shining ways. To ask Him to decide whether I shall take 
my neighbor's money, or he take mine, — whether I shall be 
adjudged the winning or the booby prize, — is making God a min- 
ister of sin; and all such evil ways are ^n abomination in His 
sight. 

The lot fell upon Matthias; and it is vain to speculate why 
Joseph Barsabbas, surnamed Justus, was not taken. Matthias 
was numbered among the twelve ; and the number of the witnesses 
was complete. 

These preliminary statements of "the beloved physician" bring 
to the front the glorious fact of our Lord's resurrection from the 
dead, and that He makes choice of certain men specially qualified 
to bear witness before their fellow-men to the infallible certainty 
of this stupendous event. And now, about to trace at length the 
story of their testimony, with all that hangs upon it and grows 
out of it, the historian first of all dwells upon the endowment 
of the witnesses with power for the fitting accomplishment of this 
marvelous work. 

Vs. 16. Sermons on Judas. 

I. THE SLOW GROWTH OF HIS SIN. 

I. Probably in the beginning self-deceived. * 

II. Increasing covetousness, and carping at true piety. 

III. His resentment of rebuke. 

IV. The treacherous kiss in Gethsemane. 



19 



I: 19-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



II. THE lord's faithful WARNINGS, 



1. 

II. 
III. 



Given in Capernaum, as recorded in John 6:70. 

Given in Bethany, as written in John 12:4-5. 

Given in the Upper Room, as mentioned in John 13:18. 



IIL HIS SPURIOUS AND TOO LATE REPENTANCE. 



I. Its unhealthy and godless origin. 
II. Manifesting a false progress. 
III. Coming to a bitter and terrible end. 

Vss. 15-26, The First Business Meeting of the Christian Church. 

I. The Nature of the Business, 

1. Of very grave importance, 

2. In which the Church had a duty to fulfill. 

3. Which the Church was competent to discharge. 
II. The Order of the Business. 

1. Peter's address. 

2. The nomination. 

3. The united prayer. 

4. The casting of the lots. — (The Homilist.) 



I. The wages of sin is death. Judas got the silver, but death was on the 
coin. 

II. The voices of the bloods. "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the 
innocent blood," and the blood of the suicide that could not wash 
his sins away. 

III. The lonely graves of the "potter's fields" too often desolate because 



I. He went in and out among His followers. 

11. Prayer, teaching, living, and working filled up the measure of His 
days. 

III. Often weary. He found rest on His Father's breast, as when "asleep on 

the pillow." 

IV. He was consumed with zeal for His Father's House. 



Vs. 19. The Lessons of Akeldama. 



of sin. 



Vs. 21. The Lord's Busy Ministry. 



Vss. 21-22. The Witnesses of the ResurpvEction. 



I. 
IL 
IH. 



The Witnesses. 

The Sufficiency of the Testimony. 
The Importance of the Fact. 



{Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 



20 



THE INTRODUCTION 



[II: I 



Vs. 24. Jesus, the Omniscient Lord. 

I. It was to Jesus they were now praying. 
11. They recognized His all-searching knowledge of the heart. 
HI. He could not fail to choose the right one to fill the vacancy. 

Section 3. — Endowing the witness with power, — 2:1-13. 

I And when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together 
in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the 
rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 
3 And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder, like as of fire ; and 
it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, 
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 

5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every 
nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound was heard, the multitude came 
together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speaking 
in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marveled, saying, 
Behold, are not all these that speak Galileans? 8 And how hear we, every 
man in our own language wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes 
and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, in Judea and Cappadocia, in 
Pontus and Asia, 10 in Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and the parts 
of Lybia about Cyrene, and sojourners from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 
II Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking in our tongues the mighty 
works of God. 12 And the}^ were all amazed, and were perplexed, saying one 
to another, What meaneth this? 13 But others, mocking, said, They are filled 
with new wine. 



I. The Day of Pentecost, — vs. i. 2. The Tongues of Fire, — vss. 2-4. 3. The 
astonished multitudes, — vss. 5:12. 4. The voice of the mockers, — vs. 13. 



I. The Day of Pentecost, — vs. i. 

It was the fiftieth day from the Passover and death on the 
Cross, and was *'now being fulfilled." Fifteen of its precious hours 
were already gone. Jesus had tarried on the earth forty days. It 
was ten days, therefore, since they first went up into that Upper 
Room. It is not said that they prayed every day; but who can 
doubt it, seeing the record is "They continued in prayer and 
supplication." 

21 



II: I] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



For what did they pray? Evidently for the Holy Spirit. The 
fact that He had been promised was a reason for their prayer, not 
against it. "Yet for all this will I be inquired of by the House of 
Israel to do it for them," — (Ezekiel 36:37). 

And while they prayed, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Had 
He not come before this tenth and Pentecostal day? We answer 
the question by asking one, — Is there ever any true praying but 
through the Holy Spirit ? We know not how to pray as we ought, 
but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us." 

How does the Holy Spirit teach us to pray? He leads us to 
earnest heart-searching, deep repentance for sin, sincere faith in 
Jesus the Christ, and humble submission of all our desires to the 
wise and gracious will of God. As He does now, did He not so 
then? 

So, on this memorable morning, we may well believe the com- 
pany of disciples sat chastened, humbled and expectant. And then 
the Holy Spirit fell on them with power. 



22 



11. THE PREPARATION OF THE WITNESSES. 



I :i2 — II :i3. 

Verse 5. "Devout men." They were therefore in the way of receiving 
further and clearer revelations of the will of God. Compare the case of Cor- 
nelius, Acts 10 :2 — Vss. 9-1 1. Mark the providence of God in scattering so many 
of the Jews throughout the nations, and then bringing representatives of them 
together at this Pentecost. Who can tell how much the success of the Gospel 
was due to these scattered points of dimly burning and shining light! 

Vs. I. What Was This Power? 

We infer what "the power" was from what we discover that it actually 
enabled the disciples to do, viz. — 
I. Rightly to interpret and enforce the teachings of the Old Testament 
Scriptures. 

II. Rightly to grasp and explain the ever undivorceable connection between 
the fundamental fact and the fundamental doctrine of the Christian 
Revelation. 

III. Rightly to interpret and emphasize the coming of the Holy Spirit as the 

fulfillment of the Father's promise, and the ascension gift of the 
risen and exalted Christ. 

IV. Rightly to proclaim with convincing and persuasive power a free and 

gracious salvation through the risen Lord, not only to the men of 
Israel, but to all the nations of mankind. 

Vs. I. Pentecost^ — The First Fruits. 

I. Pentecost was the Feast of First-Fruits, — therefore symbolical of the 
first-fruits of the Christian Church. 
II. Pentecost was associated with the giving of the law from Sinai, in the 
Jewish worship. 

III. The First-Fruits on the day of Pentecost are typical of the gathering 

of all nations to Christ. 

IV. Pentecost teaches the union of vast spiritual forces with feeble human 

agency. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. I. The Day of Pentecost. 
I. The evidence of a special Divine influence. 

II. Confirming the Divine mission of Jesus and the truth of Christianity, 
III. Emphasizing the folly of opposition to the kingdom of Christ. 

23 



11:2-4] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



IV. Exhibiting the grand means of advancing the cause of Christ. 
V. The minister's grand source of encouragement. 
VI. The reality and importance of revivals of religion. 

{Dickinson, Rev. Dr. Baxter.) 

Vss. 1-47. Pentecost. 

I. A New Manifestation of the Divine Spirit. 

II. A New Style of Religious Ministry. 

III. A New Development of Social Life. — {The Homilist.) 

Vss. i-ii. The Fulfilled Pentecost. 

1. The Time J 

II. The Manner v of the Holy Spirit's coming. 

III. The Results ) {Mc Arthur, Rev. Dr. R. S.) 



2. The Tongues of Fire, — vss. 2-4. 

Why came the Holy Spirit in tongues of parting flame? He 
had come upon their Lord after His baptism as a dove, resting 
upon Him; and we can see in this a fitting type of His ministry 
who was "not to strive, nor cry, nor lift up His voice in the street." 
Here He came as a tongue of fire, in symbol of the gift of tongues, 
by which His presence was accompanied, and through which, as 
some say, emphasizing ''the tongue," they Avere to be enabled 
to speak to the wondering strangers in their own languages, and, 
as others say, emphasizing "the fire," in sign of the conquering 
power which their testimony was to possess over all the peoples 
of the world. 

His coming, then, in this way on this day was not so much for 
the sake of His disciples, as for other people. So, ever is this true 
of the gift of tongues as the apostle teaches, — "Tongues are for a 
sign, not to them that believe, but to the unbelieving," — i Cor. 
14 :22. 

Vss. 1-4. The Gift of Tongues. 

I. The strangeness of this gift. 
II. The clear evidence that it was real. 

III. The wonderful effect of it immediately. 

IV. The great necessity and usefulness of it. 

V. Is there any necessity and consequently probability of the renewing of 
this miracle ? — ( Tillotson. ) 



24 



THE PREPARATION OF THE WITNESSES [II 15-12 



Vss. 1-4. Pentecost. 

I. The Season. 
II. The Manner. 

III. The Matter. 

IV. The Results— (Spurgeon.) 

Vs. 4. Whitsunday. 

I. The Coming of the Holy Spirit. 
11. Filled with the Holy Spirit. 

III. Transformed by the Holy Spirit— (Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 



3. The astonished multitudes, — vss. 5-12. 

Was the sound which first amazed them heard throughout the 
city? It would seem so, for it is said (2:6) ''When this sound 
was heard, the multitude came together." And any one who has 
heard the roaring of a cyclone will not find it difficult to believe 
that a sound, which could be likened to that of the "rushing of a 
mighty wind," might easily have been heard all over compactly 
built Jerusalem. But it seems more probable that the multitude 
came together in answer to the report that must speedily have 
gone abroad, for Luke says the sound "filled all the house where 
they were sitting." (2:2.) 

Who can tell what it must have been for these devout strangers 
to hear "the glad tidings" in their own mother tongues in which 
they were born? The traveler on a foreign shore knows what a 
thrill of joy passes through him, when in the midst of a jargon 
of unintelligible voices he catches the familiar accents and idioms 
of his native language. And if those recognized sounds carry 
sweet tidings, how like healing balm they fall upon the sore and 
weary spirit! So these voices of grace must have come to the 
Jerusalem sojourners. 

They heard "the mighty works of God," we are told. These 
certainly were not the works of creation or providence. They 
were the wonders of redemption. The ages-old promise was now 
being fulfilled; and they, first of all the sons of men, were gifted 
with the wondrous privilege of hearing the marvelous story. Is it 
strange that they were filled with wonder, amazement, and per- 
plexity? Their astonishment and questioning were removed by 

25 



II: 13] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



the revelation of the Gospel of salvation through a crucified 
Redeemer. So is it ever true. The Cross of an uplifted Christ 
solves the most distressing enigmas of our mortal Hfe. 

The transformation of the little group of witnessing disciples 
is marvelous. These Galileans are nothing in themselves, — nothing 
but unlearned fisher-folk. But these same Galileans filled with the 
Holy Spirit are clothed with a Divine Power ! 



4. The voice of the mockers, — vs. jj. 

There were some who said, "These men are filled with new 
wine." It was the voice of ignorance, mingled with malice. 

In the assemblies of God's children it sometimes happens that 
some unbelievers and scofifers are found. ''When the sons of God 
came together, Satan came also among them." — (Job i :6.) When 
the five hundred saw Jesus on the mountain in Galilee they wor- 
shipped Him, ''but some doubted." — Matt. 28:17. 



Verse 13, The loss of power to believe is a terrible visitation. The 
mockers could entertain no explanation of the phenomenon they witnessed 
in keeping with its high and holy mystery. Vs. 13. — Uncharitable judgments 
close the door of the heart to precious and helpful truth. In their blindness 
the mockers said, "These men are drunk," and knew not that God was open- 
ing to the world the most wonderful revelation of His grace. 



26 



DIVISION 1. 
WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM." 
II: 14— VII :6o. 



DIVISION I. 
"WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM." 
II: 14— VII :6o. 



Section i. — The Testimony of Peter, aided by the Eleven, — 2:14-47. 

Sub-section i. — The comprehensive and convincing character of this Testi- 
m ony, — 2 : 14-36. 

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spake 
forth unto them, saying, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, 
be this known unto you, and give ear unto my words. 15 For these are not 
drunken, as ye suppose ; seeing it is but the third hour of the day ; 16 but 
this is that which hath been spoken through the prophet Joel : 

17 And it shall be in the last days, saith God, 

I will pour forth of my Spirit upon all flesh: 
And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 
And your young men shall see visions, 
And your old men shall dream dreams : 

18 Yea, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days 
Will I pour forth of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 

19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above, 
And signs on the earth beneath ; 

Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke : 

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, 
And the moon into blood. 

Before the day of the Lord come. 
That great and notable day: 

21 And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord 
shall be saved. 

22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words : Jesus of Nazareth, a man ap- 
proved of God unto you by mighty works and wonders and signs which 
God did by Him in the midst of you, even as ye yourselves know; 23 Him 
being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, 
ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay : 24 whom God raised up, 
having loosed the pangs of death : because it was not possible that He should 
be holden of it. 



29 



II: 14-15] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



25 For David saith concerning him, 

I beheld the Lord always before my face; 

For He is on my right hand, that I should not be moved, 

26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; 
Moreover my flesh also shall dwell in hope : 

27 Because Thou wilt not leave my soul unto Hades, 
Nor wilt Thou give Thy Holy One to see corruption. 

28 Thou madest known to me the ways of life; 

Thou shalt make me full of gladness with Thy countenance. 

29 Brethren, I may say unto you freely of the patriarch David, that he 
both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day. 

30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an 
oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins He would set one upon His throne ; 
31 he foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was 
He left unto Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus did God 
raise up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore by the right hand 
of God exalted, and, having received of the Father the promise of the Holy 
Spirit, He hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear. 34 For David 
ascended not into the heavens: but he said himself, 

The Lord saith unto my Lord, 
Sit Thou on my right hand, 

35 Till I make thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet. 

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath 
made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified. 



1. The charge of the mockers refuted by Peter and the eleven, — vss. 14-15. 

2. The true explanation of the wonderful phenomenon given, — vss. 16-21. 

3. The resurrection of Jesus now solemnly attested by Peter and the eleven, 

— vss. 22-24. 4- This resurrection shown to have been foretold by the 
Psalmist, — vss. 25-31. 5. The solemn amd jubilant proclamation of Jesus 
as the risen and exalted Christ, — vss. 32-36. 



I. The charge of the mockers refuted, — vss. 14-15. 

This charge seems to have been made as much in ignorance as 
in malice. Hence Peter's answer to it, while convincing, was 
couched in the mildest terms. Was there not some likeness to 
drunken ravings in what the devout strangers heard ? Paul's words 
in Ephesians 5:18 seem to imply that a Spirit-filled man might 
act sometimes like a drunken man, — at least might appear such 
to the observer. 



30 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [II: 16-21 



Peter is not to be understood as meaning that a man might not 
get drunk before nine o'clock in the morning. But that at least 
one hundred and twenty men and women could get into such a 
maudlin condition by such an early hour was so unlikely that 
the mere statement of the case carried conviction to all who 
heard him. 



2. The true explanation of the phenomenon, — vss. 16-21. 

This the apostle Peter gives in the words of the prophet Joel; 
and we cannot but note and admire the wisdom of the speaker in 
bringing forward the Old Testament Scriptures, which he and his 
hearers alike accepted as the voice of God. 

It is especially noteworthy that Peter here quotes from one of 
the minor prophets. The true value and power of the Old Testa- 
ment books are not to be estimated by the size of them. Joel has 
left but little on record; but there is abundant reason to believe 
that he was truly one of the great prophets of Israel's day. 

It is further noteworthy that Peter does not quote the prophet 
accurately. Joel says, "And it shall come to pass afterward." 
Peter quotes him as saying, 'Tt shall be in the last days, saith 
God." This is but one illustration of many of the apparent care- 
lessness of New Testament men in using the Old Testament: and 
much is made of this fact against the doctrine of inspiration. 
But a careful consideration of the matter may convince us that, 
on the contrary, it is a proof of the certainty and reality of in- 
spiration. The Spirit inspired Joel; He also inspired Peter. Is it 
not then the Spirit in Peter quoting Himself in Joel? And could 
he not then rightly modify His own words, and change the form 
of the earlier utterance to suit the more definite reference of the 
later? 

This prophecy of Joel is an illustration of the far-reaching, 
sometimes double, application of Scripture prophecy. The seven- 
teenth and eighteenth verses are clearly pertinent to apostolic times. 
The remainder of the passage just as clearly stretches onward to 
the end of the Gospel age. And the closing verse of the citation 
has a gracious application to all times and peoples. Nor is it to 
be doubted that the complete fulfillment of this prophecy is yet 
in the future. 

31 



II: 14-36] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



The bearing of this passage from Joel on the meaning of Pente- 
cost is worthy of careful consideration. That day is the great 
model day of the Christian dispensation. But just as certainly is 
it a prophecy and promise of greater things yet to come. The 
prayers of the saints are not ill-worded when they cry to God 
for out-pourings of His Holy Spirit. It is a practical paralysis of 
hope to tell the Church that the Spirit having been given once 
for all, at Pentecost, H^e need not be expected to come again and 
again in showers of blessings. 



Verse 14. When Peter voiced his testimony, all the apostles were stand- 
ing up with him, in solemn witness to the truth of what he said. — ^Vs. 18. 
"When God set forth His fiery law (Deut. 33:2) He proclaimed it in one 
tongue; but the story of grace was told in the language of every nation un- 
der heaven." — Moody. — Vss. 17-18. The participation of both sexes and all 
ages in the blessings and spread of "the glad tidings" is plainly to be a feature 
of Gospel times. 

Verse 21. The world-wide Gospel in the Old Testament. It was very 
different from the exclusiveness of the Jewish people. The method of its 
availability for all men was yet to be revealed to the New Testament Church, 
even to these apostles of Christ. — Vs. 22. The traits of a man "approved of 
God." 

Vss. 14-36. The Pentecostal Sermon. 

I. The Slander refuted. 

II. The Phenomenon explained, 

III. The Resurrection of Jesus attested. 

IV. The Resurrection foretold. 
V. The Resurrection proclaimed. 

Vss. 14-36. The First Christian Sermon Analyzed. 

Subject, — Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of the Hebrew Prophets. 
I. The seers of Israel predict just such scenes as you have witnessed during 
the last few weeks, and as you are witnessing to-day, as the herald 
signs of the Messiah's Kingdom. 
II. The prophetic description of the life of our promised Messiah coincides 
most remarkably with the facts exhibited in the life of Jesus of 
Nazareth. 

III. The prophetic marks of the death of the Messiah coincide with those of 

the death of Jesus. 

IV. The prophetic resurrection and ascension of the Messiah correspond 

with the actual resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth. 

{S'ynith, Rev. Dr. Henry.) 



32 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [11:22-24 



Vs. 15. The Right Treatment of Slander. 

A patient and temperate spirit 
I. In stating the indisputable facts. 
II. In showing the improbability of the slanderous story. 

Vss. 16-20. The Gospel Age. 

I. An extraordinary effusion of the Divine Spirit. 

11. Prodigious revolutions. 

III. An ultimate crisis. 

IV. A universal salvation. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 17. A Young Man's Vision. 

I. Let us justify our vision. 

(Of a revived missionary spirit.) 
II. Let us elaborate the vision. 
III. Let us promote its realization. — {Spurgeon.) 

Vs. 21. The Plan of Salvation. 

I. The universal offer of salvation. 
II. The appointed way of salvation. — {Five Hundred Sketches.) 



3. The attestation of the resurrection of Christ, — vss. 22-24. 

The unusually formal and solemn manner in which this is 
done cannot escape attention. The slander refuted, and the true 
explanation of the phenomenon given, and the apostles all on 
their feet in solemn asseveration of the truth, and all consenting 
to the words of the speaker, Peter now briefly rehearses the facts 
of the life, death and resurrection of the Lord. 

This rehearsal touches upon these important items, viz. — 
(i) Jesus of Nazareth had wrought wondrous works among 
them; — (2) God had set His approval on His ministry; — (3) This 
was perfectly well known to the people to whom Peter was speak- 
ing; — (4) And yet, though they knew these things, they had 
nevertheless wickedly crucified Him; — (5) And this they had been 
able to do, only because He had been delivered up to them by 
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. 

33 



11:22-24] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

Following this brief and pointed statement of the facts came 
the great and convincing testimony. And as we read the speaker's 
words we must think of the Twelve standing up before the won- 
dering multitude, — ''Whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs 
of death; because it was not possible that He should be holden 
of it." The notable fact here is that there is not the slightest 
disposition or eifort, on the part of Peter's audience, to impeach 
or discredit this testimony. The pitiful, lying story of the rulers 
and soldiers is buried under an avalanche of irrefutable testimony 
given by the Lord's witnesses, who now stand before them. 

It was not possible for the Lord of Life to be kept a prisoner 
behind the bars of death. And with this the Holy Scriptures 
agree. Once again Peter turns to the Old Testament. Wonderfully 
does this wonderful sermon bind together the books of Revelation 
which many seem inclined to tear asunder. It is David now, as 
the mouth-piece of the Holy Spirit, who is summoned to the front, 
to confirm the testimony of the witnesses. 



Verse 23. The sovereignty of God, and the freedom and responsibility 
of man, are not contradictory truths. They do not need to be reconciled, 
though we may not be able to see how they agree with one another. — Vs. 24. 
The resurrection of Christ is ascribed to the power of God, — this to empha- 
size our Lord's true humanity. 



I. Wherein the true force of the argument from miracles consists, and 
what is it they prove. 
11. What sort of works are to be admitted for miracles in proving the truth 
of any religion. — {Sherlock, Bishop Thomas.) 



Vs. 22. Christianity and Miracles. 



Vss. 22-23. The Crucifixion of Christ. 



I. 
11. 
III. 
IV. 



Who was deHvered? 

To what was He delivered? 

By whom was He delivered? 

The design of His being delivered. — {Beaumont, Rev. J. E.) 



34 



11:25-31] WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM 

Vs. 24. The Inevitableness of Christ's Resurrection. 

I. The fact of Christ's resurrection. 
II. The reasons for it, — 

1. Prophecy made it a divine necessity. 

2. The character of Christ required it. 

3. He was the Prince of Life. — {Liddon, Canon H. P.) 

Vs. 24. The Necessity of Christ's Resurrection. 

I. It was a moral impossibility that Christ should be holden of death. 
II. It was a natural necessity that Jesus should rise from the dead. 

(Cannon, Rev. Dr. J. F.) 

Vs. 24. Note. 

The earliest preaching of the apostles was mainly apologetic, for it was 
mainly what St. Luke calls it, "a preaching of the resurrection," the fact by 
which Christ was manifestly declared to be the Son of God, and by which 
the truth and success of His mission were infallibly sealed. 

(Flint, Prof. Robert.) 



4. The resurrection now shown to have been foretold by the 
Psalmist, — vss. 

It is specially worth while to note the force and bearing of 
Peter's quotation. These are the words of a prophet, — the royal 
prophet-psalmist of God's covenant people. They are words which 
evidently possess a surface and at the same time an occult mean- 
ing; — the surface meaning expressing the prophet's own hope of 
a future and blessed life, — the occult signification setting forth 
the resurrection (of course, by necessity preceded by the death and 
burial) of the Messiah. This hidden meaning evidently could 
not have been injected into, or interpreted out of, the Psalmist's 
words but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

Only through some such meaning could there be any, even the 
faintest, expression of that promise, oath-sworn of Jehovah, that 
of David's loins He would set a son upon his throne, to reign 
forever and forever. 

Did the royal prophet have any idea of the Messianic reference 

35 



11:25-31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



of his own words? No one can read the words of Nathan and 
David in 2 Samuel 7:16, and 18-29, and David's words in 2 Samuel 
23 :5, without coming to the conclusion that he certainly understood 
some things about the matter; and that this knowledge gave him 
great hope and joy. It is probable indeed that he did not see all 
things clearly; and his is perhaps an instance of that '^searching 
what time, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ, which 
was in them, did point unto, when it testified beforehand the suffer- 
ings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them," of which 
this same Peter speaks in his first epistle (i :ii). 

The important and notable thing for us to remember here is 
this, — Here in the heart of the Hebrew literature, and in the 
purest and palmiest day of the Hebrew people, we have a comfort- 
ing revelation of the future life and its eternal joys, — set forth 
as the portion of all believers, and now and here specifically inter- 
preted by the Holy Spirit as teaching also the death, burial and 
resurrection of the Christ! This is the point of Peter's citation. 
There is no possible evasion of this conclusion to those who, like 
Peter's audience, accepted the Old Testament as the inspired Word 
of God. The apostle's use of the Psalmist's words shows that, to 
him and them alike, those words were an end of all controversy. 
So, again the solemn testimony is delivered, — "This Jesus hath God 
raised up, whereof we all are witnesses." And the conclusion of 
Peter's great sermon, with its two mighty "therefores," is an over- 
whelming demonstration of the joint power of Divine Prophecy 
and Human Testimony in establishing the fact and doctrine of 
the resurrection of the Christ. 



Verse 25. This blessed assurance is enough for even a New Testament 
saint; what exalted faith does it disclose in the "sweet singer of ancient 
Israel" ? 

Vs. 27. Hades, or Sheol. 

I. The ancient Hebrew view of "the under world." 
II. The doctrine of the so-called "intermediate state." 

III. The Papal doctrine of Purgatory. 

IV. The New Testament teaching as to the state of the dead. 

36 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [11:32-36 



5. The solemn and jubilanti proclamation of Jesus as the risen 
and exalted Christ, — vss. 32-^6. 

Peter's first "therefore" sounds a note of confidence and 
triumph, — "Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and 
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He 
hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear." The successive 
stages in our Lord's exaltation are thus sketched by the witness, — 
His resurrection from the dead, His ascension to glory, and His 
enthronement at the right hand of the Father. 

No such exaltation can be predicated of David; and the words 
of the prophet-psalmist already cited were not fulfilled in him. 
This is confirmed by David's words cited from another Psalm, 
viz. — 

"The Lord said unto my Lord, 
Sit Thou on my right hand, 

Till I make Thine enemies the footstool of Thy feet." 

Peter's words do not mean that David did not go to heaven at 
death; but only that no such exaltation attended his entrance 
into the spirit-world as his inspired words here ascribe to Jesus 
the Christ. 

The apostle's second "therefore" is a solemn assurance and 
admonition in view of the fact and results of the resurrection. 
Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, was indeed their 
Messiah and Lord. "Let all the house of Israel, therefore, know 
assuredly that God hath made Him both Lord and Christ, this 
Jesus whom ye crucified." And this word of the triumphing 
witness-preacher goes far beyond the audience gathered in Jerusa- 
lem and comes to all Israel in all the world; and as well to all 
the nations of mankind. 



Verse 36. If we receive Him in sincerity as the Christ, we shall also 
acknowledge Him as Lord. — Vs. 36. The promise of the Second Psalm is 
now fulfilled, — 

"Yet have I set my King 
Upon my holy hill of Zion." 

— Vss. 2)2r2,(>. The significant "therefores" of Peter's sermon. 

37 



11:37-47] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 36. Jesus Is the Christ. 

I. The force of Peter's reasoning. 
II. The importance of his conclusion. 

Simeon (Horcs HomileticcE) . 

Vs. 36. The Great Fact. 

I. The wonderful event itself. 
II. Our knowledge of the fact. 
III. The indubitable certainty of our knowledge. 

Sub-section 2. — The Effect of Peter's Testimony, — 2:37-47. 

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said 
unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? 38 And 
Peter said unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the 
name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive 
the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For to you is the promise, and to your chil- 
dren, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
call unto Him. 40 And with many other words he testified, and exhorted 
them, saying. Save yourselves from this crooked generation. 41 They then 
that received his word were baptized: and there were added unto them in 
that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the 
apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. 

43 And fear came upon every soul : and many wonders and signs were 
done through the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had 
all things common ; 45 and they sold their possessions and goods and parted 
them to all, according as any man had need. 46 And day by day, continuing 
steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they 
took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 praising God, and 
having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day 
those that were saved. 



1. The immediate effect, — 2:37-42. 

2. The more remote effect, — 2:43-47. 



I. The immediate effect, — 2:^^-42. 

This was wonderful, and appears in the instant and overwhelm- 
ing conviction of sin of the multitude. We must think of the 
constantly enlarging company, assembled perhaps in a more capa- 
cious room, possibly in the temple, or one of its spacious areas. 
There were first the company of the apostles, — then the one hundred 

38 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [11:37-47 



and twenty, — then the devout strangers from many nations, — and 
then "the Jerusalem sinners." Some were probably there who, 
in the frenzied mob before Pilate, had cried, ''His blood be on us, 
and on our children." But whether they had been participants in 
the crucifixion of Jesus or not, all now, with opened eyes, could 
not but see that, if the Messiah rose from the dead, He must have 
been buried in the grave; and that if He had been put in the 
sepulchre. He must have died on Calvary; and that if He died 
on the cross, it must have been to make atonement for sin. The 
Cross then immediately brought before them their sin. And at 
once their great and bitter cry burst forth, — "Brethren, what shall 
we do?" 

Peter immediately proclaims the glad tidings of repentance and 
faith in the crucified Christ. When once men are truly convicted 
of sin it is the appointed time to preach to them the Gospel. 

The proof of their genuine faith and repentance is two-fold, 
viz. — They receive baptism, according to the apostle's word; — and 
then they receive the Holy Spirit, as promised by the preacher. 
He fell on them, possibly in tongues of parting flame, as on the 
earlier disciples, but certainly to take entire possession of their 
spiritual natures, so that they were "filled with the Holy Spirit." 

The wide reach of the Gospel promise is made plain by Peter. 
That promise was to them and to their children. Those children 
had been sharers with them of the blessings of the Old Covenant; 
and certainly they shall not be cut off from the richer benedictions 
of the New Covenant. And they were for all in every place and 
age, who should be called of their Divine Lord. 

Peter follows up his great sermon with an after-meeting, in 
which he continues both his testimony and his exhortation. And 
under the mighty influences of this wonderful day we see the 
multitudes (i) submitting to baptism, the forerunners of a long 
line of confessors of the faith, — (2) uniting with the Church, and 
becoming known as followers of the Nazarene, — and (3) daily 
living a godly and believing life. 



Verse 37. This cry of the convicted is here a most proper question; but 
it may be asked with a wholly improper motive. — Vs. 38, This receiving the 
Holy Spirit is for salvation; that mentioned in John 20:22 is receiving Him 

39 



11:37-47] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



for service. — Vs. 39. God is still the God of the Covenant. The Old Testa- 
ment and the New Testament Churches are one and the same. The children 
still have a part in the promise, as of old. — Vs. 39. There is a valid distinc- 
tion between the general and effectual in the calls of the Gospel. — Vs. 40. A 
"crooked generation" is not willing in a straightforward way to accept the 
truth on overwhelming testimony; and the only salvation from a "crooked 
generation" is by faith in Christ. — Vs. 41. 'The first time the law was 
preached three thousand were killed (Ex. 32 :28) ; the first time grace was 
preached three thousand were saved." — {Moody.) — Vs. 42. Compare the 
threefold use of "steadfastly" by Luke in 1:14, 2:42, and 2:46 — Vs. 42. 
"Teaching" and "Fellowship" must always go together. Doctrinal agreement 
on fundamentals is the only real foundation of true communion. — Vs. 42. 
"The breaking of bread," as used here, seems to differ from the same phrase 
as used in 2 146. Here it apparently refers to the Lord's Supper ; there the 
reference is to a common meal at home. 

Vs. 37. The Effusion of the Holy Spirit. 

I. Marked by a noble freedom of speech. 

IL Shown in a miracle of dignity and weight 

III. A sermon showing an invincible power of reasoning. 

IV. Containing some stinging reproofs. 

V. Revealing threatenings of approaching judgments. 

(Saurin, Rev. Jacques.) 

Vs. 38. The Immediate Duty of a Convicted Sinner. 
Repentance of all sin, and baptism. 

Both the internal experience and the external rite are necessary, but for 
different reasons. 

One must be right with God, as shown in the first, and known to be 

right to one's fellow-men, as shown in the second. 
The order here stated is all-important, — first repentance, and, second, 
baptism. 

The external rite involves the right attitude of the soul to Jesus, and 
all-saving truth. 

Vs. 41. "In That Day." 

I. Day of mourning. III. Day of rejoicing. 

II. Day of decision. IV. Day of triumph. 

Vs. 41. Reasons for Church Membership. 

I. The performance of a necessary duty. 

II. The preservation of the spiritual nature. 

III. The benefits of mutual association. 

IV. The need of training and instruction. — (Smith, Rev. W. D.) 

40 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [11:43-47 



Vss. 38-39. The Subjects of Baptism. 

I. The Abrahamic covenant, in its principles and design, embraced the 
Christian dispensation. 
II. Infants were included in that covenant as parties to its conditions and 
promises. 

III. Baptism has taken the place of circumcision as the seal of the cove- 

nant. 

IV. The right of infants to this ordinance has been recognized by Christ and 

the apostles, and their successors. — (Baird, Rev. TJios. Dickson.) 

Vss. 37-47. The Effect and Evidence of True Religion. 

I. Brotherly love among all believers. 
II. Mutual helpfulness among Christians. 
III. Great joy in the service of the Lord. 



2. The more remote effect, — 2:4^-4'/. 

This was far-reaching, and issued in a series of great things ; — 
Great fear came upon all, and especially upon unbelievers. The 

forces of opposition were dumbfounded, and were not yet organized 

to resist the progress of the rising religion. 

Great miracles were wrought through the apostles. They had 

once been unbelieving themselves, and therefore weak. Now they 

are strong. And the promise of their Divine Master is fulfilled, — 

*'He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; 

and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto the 

Father." 

A great spirit of unity and fellowship prevailed. This first 
exhibition of the spirit of so-called communism will be considered 
more fully in the exposition of the closing verses of the fourth 
chapter. But just now it is well to note its real character and 
limitations. It was (i) the voluntary surrender of personal prop- 
erty in the spirit of self-sacrificing love to those who shared the 
common hope of the glorious Gospel. It was (2) to supply the 
present needs of those whom the providence of God had brought 
together in unusual and unexpected circumstances. 

Great joy among believers (i) in worship; — (2) in daily 
living; (3) in the favor of their acquaintances and neighbors. 

Great increase in the number of believers, — of whom it is said 
they were "added to them of the Lord." 

41 



11:37-47] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Verse 43. There is a proper "fear of God," and there is "a fear that 
hath torment." — Vs. 43. The "wonders and signs" were done not by, but 
"through," the apostles. — Vs. 46. The connection between, and inter-action of, 
the home life and public worship are worthy the profoundest consideration. — 
Vs. 46. The joyfulness of Christian service is worth more attention from 
both saint and sinner than it commonly receives. — Vs. 46. "Day by Day" is 
the secret at once of the life of trust, and the life of obedience. — Vs. 46. The 
suggestiveness of the relations of "gladness" and "singleness of heart." — Vss. 
46 and 47. The two expressions, "Day by Day," and the suggestive relations 
of the second to the first. — Vs. 47. Additions to the Church are of little value, 
if they be not "added of the Lord." — Vs. 47. Happy the Church that is made 
up of "saved" people. The root idea of the original word "to save" is "to 
sift." "Saved ones" are "sifted ones." — Vs. 47. The human side of the 
Church's growth; men are drawn to a loving and happy fellowship. 

Vs. 42. Apostolic Christianity. 

They continued steadfastly 

I. In the apostles' teaching. 

II. In the fellowship. 

III. In the breaking of bread. 

IV. In the prayers. 

V. In these they continued steadfastly.— (//a^^fn^j. Rev. Dr. James.) 

Vss. 44-47. The State of the Primitive Church. 

I. Their Charity. II. Their Piety. III. Their Increase. 

Simeon (Horce Homileticce) . 

Vss. 44-45. The Conversion of the Purse. 

I. It follows and evidences the conversion of the soul. 
II. That purse henceforth belongs not to one's self, but to the Lord. 

III. Its contents are henceforth administered with reference to the needs of 

the Lord's people. 

Vss. 37-47. The Guidance of Inquirers. 

I. Directions to the Inquiring. 

1. Personal, — Repentance, — Faith, — Confession. 

2. Family. 3. Community. 

II. Directions followed by the Inquiring. 

1. Confession of personal faith. 

2. Reverent use of means, — Doctrine, — Fellowship — Communism, — 

Prayers. 

3. Self-sacrificing Christian fellowship. 

4. Harmony. 5. Joyfulness. 6. Prosperity. 

42 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [HI: 1-3 



Vss. 1-47. General Reflections on Pentecost. 

L We must note the slow merging of the personal into the spiritual in 
the relations of the apostles to their Lord. 
II. Their profound and joyful consciousness of the fact that an Almighty 
and Gracious Power was behind them in their work. 

III. Their assured and unwavering offer of eternal salvation through Jesus 

Christ to all penitent and believing souls. 

IV. Their clear conviction and presentation of the duty of immediate sub- 

mission by all men to Jesus Christ as the Sovereign Lord and King. 

Section 2. — The Testimony of Peter and John, — 3:1 4:31. 

Sub-section i. — The Miracle, — 3:1-11. 

I Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of 
prayer, being the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man that was lame from his 
mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple 
which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive an 
alms. 4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 

5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something from them. 

6 But Peter said, Silver and gold have I none ; but what I have, that I give 
thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. 7 And he took him by 
the right hand and raised him up : and immediately his feet and his ankle- 
bones received strength. 8 And leaping up, he stood, and began to walk; and 
he entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping, and praising God. 
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 10 and they took 
knowledge of him, that it was he that sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of 
the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which 
had happened unto him. 11 And as he held Peter and John all the people 
ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly won- 
dering. 



I. The Hour of Prayer, — vss. 1-3. 2. The Power of the Name, — vss, 4-8. 
3. The Wondering Multitude, — vss. g-ii. 



I. The Hour of Prayer, — vss. i-j. 

The daily worship was at nine and three o'clock. The best 
times of the day were given to God. Daily toilers could not, and 
would not be expected to, join in this daily service; and other 

43 



111:4-8] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



arrangements seem to have been made for them, as appears from 
5:20-21. These arrangements emphasize the value of regular and 
stated times for the public worship of Almighty God. 

The daily bringing of the cripple to the Gate beautifully illus- 
trates the connection between worship and charity. His friends 
doubtless helped him in the measure of their ability. Then they 
laid him at the gate of the temple, rightly judging that among 
worshipers of God would most certainly be found truest com- 
passion for needy men. 

But the long daily waiting, the constant asking, and frequent 
rebuffs, and, worse than all else probably, the suspicions of the 
genuineness of his needs on the part of hasty observers, must have 
made his lot a very sad and lonely one. This morning, however, 
dawns a memorable day in his career. 



Verse i. Duty never conflicts with true worship. The day's work often 
seems done, when the most important part remains to be accomplished. 



2. The Power of the Name, — vss. 4-8. 

The apparent source of blessing was a most unlikely one. But 
the cripple will venture the appeal for help once more : and he finds 
behind the apparent fountain of aid a spring of healing in the 
omnipotent resources of the Wonderful Name. 

The cripple's case appealed to Peter and John because, through 
no fault of his, he had suffered a lifetime of helplessness and 
poverty. But they were themselves poor and could help him only 
by invoking the power of the "Name above every name." Paul 
describes himself and his companions as "poor, yet making many 
rich." This was equally true of Peter and John. 

To do the cripple of the gate any good it was necessary that 
he, as well as they, should have faith in the power of the Name. 
Therefore Peter says to him, first of all, "Look on us." Had he 
not supposed that they were but common worshipers? And did 
not that intent look on the part of the apostles, begetting intensity 
of attention on the beggar's part, reveal them to him as the widely 
known followers of the Nazarene? 



44 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [IIIiq-ii 



God's "over-answers to prayer" find suggestive illustration in 
the cripple's case. He asked for alms, but received vastly more 
than earthly gifts. God deals with us oftentimes after the same 
manner. The woman of Samaria asked for water; the Lord Jesus 
gave her the water of life. 

There was a suggestive though rapid process in the recovery of 
the cripple of the gate; — (i) he ''stood," — (2) he "began to walk," 
— (3) he went forward "walking and leaping," — (4) His jubilant 
entrance into the temple was accompanied by his "praising God." 
This last shows that he looked beyond the noted instruments of 
blessing to the Divine Source in the Almighty Name, and that it 
was really his faith in that Name which had given him perfect 
soundness in the presence of all the people. 



Verse 4. The awakening of faith. Our low expectations in asking. 
"My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ 
Jesus." — Vs. 6. The instrument of blessing may be weak and poor, yet used 
of God to do a mighty work, and confer on the needy inestimable blessings. 
— Vs. 7. Instrumentality is often used to encourage faith, e. g. The clay 
and the spittle, — The washing in Siloam — Vs. 8. How sweet the action of 
gratitude ! 

Vss. 1-16. The Power of the Name. 

I. All that Jesus says will be done, 
n. All that Jesus asks will be granted. 
III. All that Jesus judges will stand forever. 

Vss. i-ii. The Lame Man Healed. 

I. Picture of the Place of Prayer, 
n. Picture of the beginning of a life of strength, real liberty, and real power. 

{Erdman, Rev. Dr. Charles R.) 

3. The Wondering Multitude, — vss. p-ii. 

The amazement of the people was natural: — (i) The man had 
been a notable beggar and cripple in Jerusalem for over forty 
years; — (2) The miracle had been wrought by the fisher-folk of 
Galilee; — (3) It was the first miracle which they had performed; — 

45 



III:9-ii] THE TESTIMONY OF"^ THE WITNESSES 



(4) They had healed the man openly and avowedly in the Name 
of Jesus the Nazarene. 

Yet it would seem as if that fickle multitude were inclined to 
ascribe the efficacious result to the mere human instrumentality. 
And hence the peculiar earnestness of the apostle's words. 



Verse 9. True thankfuhiess is not ashamed of an open manifestation. — 
Vs. ID. The man in the fullness of his strength was glad to be remembered 
as the cripple of the gate. Many are ashamed of the "hole of the pit, whence 
they were digged." — ^Vs. 12. The lesson of the miracle is the exaltation of 
Jesus in the sermon of the apostle Peter. — Vs. 12. Seizing the fitting moment 
for the message, and utilizing an unspiritual curiosity. 

Vs. 12. Timely Preaching. 

I. The Preacher. III. The Occasion. 

II. The Message. IV. The People. 

Vss. 12-21. The Sermon in the Porch. 

I. The Law; — Their rejection of the Christ. 
II. The Gospel; — 

1. Despair not the end of conviction. 

2. Sins of ignorance. 

3. The execution of God's purpose. 

4. Their Messiah was not lost. 

III. The Exhortation. 

1. Their duty. 

2. The motive. 

Vss. i-ii. The Miracle at the Beautiful Gate. 
A Fact. 

I. The authors. — 2. The season. — 3. The subject. 
4. The scene. — 5. The method.— 6. The indubitableness. 
A Text. 

1. Traces the miracle to its true author. 

2. Connects it with the name of Christ. 

3. Develops the Christian Plan of Restitution. 
An Epoch. 

1. A new impulse in the world's antagonism to Christianity. 

2. A new demonstration of God's power in Christianity. 

{The H 0 mills t,^ 

46 



I. 
II. 

III. 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [III: 12-26 



Sub-section 2. — The Address, — 3:12-26. 

12 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of 
Israel, why marvel ye at this man? or why fasten ye your eyes on us, as 
though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk ? 13 The God 
of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glori- 
fied His servant Jesus ; whom ye delivered up and denied before the face of 
Pilate when he had determined to release Him. 14 But ye denied the Holy 
and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted unto you, 15 and 
killed the Prince of Life; whom God raised from the dead; whereof we are 
witnesses. 16 And by faith in His name hath His name made this man strong, 
whom ye behold and know; yea, the faith that is through Him hath given 
him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 

17 And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance ye did it, as did also 
your rulers. 18 But the things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the 
prophets, that His Christ should suffer. He thus fulfilled. 19 Repent ye there- 
fore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may 
come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He 
may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus; 21 whom^— 
the heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, whereof 
God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that have been from of old. 
22 Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from 
among your brethren, like unto me; to him shall ye hearken in all things 
whatsoever he shall speak unto you. 23 And it shall be, that every soul that 
shall not hearken to that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the 
people. 24 Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and them that followed 
after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days. 25 Ye are the 
sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, 
saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be 
blessed. 26 Unto you first God, having raised up His Servant, sent Him to 
bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. 



I. The Personal Disclaimer, Vs. 12. 2. The Pozver zvas that of the Risen 
Christ, Vss. 13-16. 3. Repentance urged in view of the Suffering, Risen, 
and Returning Christ, Vss. 17-21. 4. The Accordant Testimony of the 
Prophets from Moses onward, Vss. 22-24. 5. Peter's final and loving 
appeal, Vss. 25-26. 



I. The Personal Disclaimer, — vs. 12. 

Here was a great opportunity for self-glorification; but this 
was not in the thought of the faithful witnesses. On the contrary 
they furnish a conspicuous illustration of that hiding behind the 

47 



III:i5-i6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Cross which is the glory of the Christian ministry. "Ye men 
of Israel, why marvel ye at this man? or why fasten ye your eyes 
on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made 
him to walk ?" Peter would have the glory all given to his Divine 
Master. He and John had only been humble instruments in the 
Almighty Hand of the exalted Nazarene. 



2. The Power was that of the risen Christ, — vss. 15-16, 

Peter, immediately disavowing all personal merit in the miracle, 
connects the healing of the cripple with Jesus of Nazareth, and 
presents the case in a chain of testimony that is irrefutable. It 
was Jesus of Nazareth whom they had crucified. The aggravation 
of their sin was four-fold; — (i) They had delivered Him up and 
denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he had been minded to 
let Him go;— (2) They had preferred a murderer to the prophet 
of Galilee; — (3) It was the ''Holy and Righteous One" whom they 
had denied; — (4) It was the "Prince of Life" whom they had 
killed. 

But God had raised Him from the dead. It was the God of 
their fathers, of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, — the God 
of glorified saints, for "He is not the God of the dead but of the 
living," who had thus glorified His Servant. Of this mighty and 
pregnant fact Peter and his fellow-disciples were witnesses. Once 
again, therefore, he sets before the people their solemn testimony 
to the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And it was this 
risen and glorified Son of God who had healed the man whom 
they had known for many years as the cripple and beggar at the 
Beautiful Gate. The faith which was "through Him," and "in His 
Name," had given the man both health and strength. 



Verse 13. God has just claims upon us because of His relations to our 
fathers. The Father is here glorifying His Son. — Vs. 14. The solemn charge 
of a faithful witness. The law must go before the Gospel. Glad tidings can 
be such only to those convicted of sin. — Vs. 15. The resurrection is a terrible 
fact to some, a doctrine of hope to others. The Prince of Life is the author 
of life. His dying hand opened the gates of life to the dying robber. — Vs. 16. 
Faith in the name of Jesus can remove mountains. The healing of faith is 
not impossible in our day. Faith is omnipotent when it takes hold of the 
Divine strength. 

48 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [III: 17-21 



Vss. 12-21. The Prince of Life. 

1. Jesus Presented. 
II. Sinners Condemned. 

III. Pardon Proclaimed. — (McCrory, Rev. J. T.) 

Vs. 16. The Lame Man Healed. 

I. His Helplessness. 

1. From his birth. 

2. Coloring his entire life. 
11. His Healing. 

1. He recognized himself as an object of charity. 

2. He submitted to be helped to the place where compassion could 

reach him and do its work. 
III. His use of soundness and strength. 

1. He stood. 

2. He began to walk. 

3. His walking brought him into the temple of God. — {Drew Ser- 

mons of 190Q, on Golden Texts, S. S. Lessons.) 



3. Repentance is now urged by the apostle in view of the Suffering, 
Risen, and Returning Christ, — vss. 1^-21. 

Peter would have the people and their rulers understand that 
they had committed a great sin in crucifying their Messiah, even 
though they had done it in ignorance, — for ignorance may explain 
but does not excuse wrongdoing, — and even though in doing it 
they had fulfilled the prophetic word. He calls upon them, there- 
fore, to repent. Their sin, great and grievous as it was, was not a 
"sin unto death," and forgiveness and "the blotting out" of their 
transgressions awaited their return to God in sincere penitence. 
"Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord" also, and 
the return of their preappointed Messiah, even Jesus, were condi- 
tioned upon the confession and forsaking of their evil ways. 

This Jesus had been received up into heaven, not to abide there 
forever, but to await "the restoration of all things." The return 
of our Lord to the world He has redeemed is here first mentioned 
in apostolic teaching. 

Some significant phrases of Peter's address deserve special 
notice: — (i) "Times of refreshing" is one. Literally it is "Times 



III:i7-2i] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



of soul-uplifting." They come from the "presence of the Lord." 
Times of refreshing are to mark the history of the Church till 
the Christ returns; and they are distinguished as times of repent- 
ance, and the putting away of sin. (2) "The restoration of all 
things" is another obscure phrase. What does it mean ? Our Lord 
uses the same expression of John the Baptist (Matt. 17:10). In 
answer to His disciples' question, ''Why say the scribes that Elijah 
must first come?" He answered and said, "Elijah indeed cometh, 
and shall restore all things, but I say unto you that Elijah is come 
already." John's "restoring all things" was evidently his preparing 
the way of the Lord. In like manner the Lord will return when 
His way is prepared. And that time will surely come. The Golden 
Age is in the future. The prophets all foretell the coming of 
that day. 

The notable thing in this address of Peter is his testimony to the 
teaching of the prophets concerning the death, resurrection, and 
return of the Christ. The remainder of his discourse continues 
this thought. 



Verse 17. The most charitable construction is always the best. Some of 
the rules undoubtedly sinned against light. — Vs. 18. God carries out His 
plans even through the sins and mistakes of His people. — Vs. 19. Forgiveness 
is conditioned on repentance. To the penitent soul God loves to come with 
refreshing. The downcast He will lift up. — Vs. 20. Jesus is for us the ap- 
pointed Christ. — Vs. 21. God's wonderful way of keeping alive the hopes of 
His children. His prophets in all the ages have been the ministers of hope. 
— Vs. 22. The Mosaic revelation of the coming Messiah was in many re- 
spects wonderfully clear. — Vs. 23. The obligation of obedience is not less 
explicit than the Divine Promise. — Vs. 24. Their days were days of light, 
toward which all the ages had been looking. 

Vs. 19. The Apostolical Exhortation. 

I. The apostle bade men to repent and be converted. 

II. There was good reason for this command. 

III. Without repentance and conversion sin cannot be pardoned. 

{Spurgeon.) 

Vs. 14. Men Denying the Just One. 

I. The Person against whom this outrage was perpetrated. 
II. The nature of the outrage that was enacted. 

III. The outcome of it R\l—{The Homilist) 

50 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [111:22-24 



Vs. 19. Times of Refreshing. 

I. Illustrations of them. 
II. The Source whence they come. 

III. The blessed results they produce. — {The Homilist.) 

Vs. 19. Repentance, Conversion, and Pardon. 

I. What is it to repent? 
II. What is it to be converted? 

III. How the sins of men may and will be blotted out in consequence of 

their repenting and being converted. 

IV. What is the duty of sinners respecting their repentance and conversion? 

(Smalley, Rev. Dr. John.) 

Vss. 19^21. The Christian Plan of Effecting the Moral Resti- 
tution OF the World. 

I. It aims at a thorough spiritual reformation as the necessary condition. 
I. Repentance, — 2. Absolution, — 3. Invigoration. 
II. It is ever under the direction of the great God. 

1. The invigorating influence is from Him. 

2. The chief agent is from God. 

3. The revelation of the scheme is from God. 

III. It Vv^ill completely realize its glorious end before the final advent of 
Christ. 

1. Christ is in heaven. 

2. His restoring work is proceeding on earth. 

3. When His great plan has fully realized its results, He will come, 

and not before. — {The Homilist.) 



4. The accordant testimony of the Prophets from Moses onward, — 

vss. 22-24.. 

The passage, which Peter cites from Deuteronomy, is used 
also by Stephen (7 :37). It is worth our while to tarry here a little 
for its attentive study. 

The words are ascribed to Moses by the inspired apostle. It 
is no adequate explanation of their origin to say they are found 
in a book commonly attributed to Moses. We have here clearly 
set forth a certain specified person speaking of a certain specified 
and clearly understood person. 

SI 



111:25-26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



The likeness of the Nazarene to Moses is declared but not 
dwelt upon by Peter, because it was obvious. In several particulars 
the resemblance is striking: — (i) Both belonged to our common 
humanity. Jesus was "made like unto His brethren," even as was 
Moses. (2) Both were mediators between God and His people. 

(3) Both magnified the Divine Law, and made it honorable. 

(4) Both received manifold and unequivocal tokens of the Divine 
approval. Obedience to the coming prophet was solemnly enjoined; 
and the dire consequences of disobedience were plainly set forth. 

With this testimony of Moses to the character and claims of 
the Messiah accords the teaching of the whole line of prophets 
from the first institution of the prophetical order in Samuel, onward 
through the long centuries. 

The Holy Spirit, speaking thus through the apostle, certifies 
to us that the prophetic Scriptures are everywhere alive to the 
character and mission of the Messiah. And the solemn testimony 
of the Lord's witnesses assures us of the certainty that this 
character and mission are met in Jesus of Nazareth. Thus, once 
again the voice of prophecy and the testimony of the chosen wit- 
nesses combine to establish upon impregnable foundations the 
claims of the risen Nazarene to be the very Christ of God. 



5. Peter's final and loving appeal, — vss. 2^-26. 

The considerate and even tender and pleading tone of the 
apostle's words in this address in Solomon's Porch is in marked 
contrast with the cogent reasoning and triumphant conclusion of 
his Pentecostal sermon. 

That spirit of compassionate yearning reaches its culmination 
in these closing sentences. It grows in pathos, and gathers, one 
would think, well-nigh compelling power from three considerations; 
viz. — (i) They were the children of the prophets. That long line 
of faithful men, gifted with the vision of a brighter day, was their 
line. They had a godly and royal lineage; and, of all men, it 
behooved them especially to be "not faithless but believing." 
(2) They were the children of the covenant, which God had made 
with their fathers, and which expressly included their children 
in successive generations. That covenant was made with Abraham, 
the father of all believers. The promises of that covenant were 

52 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [111:25-26 



of a two-fold character; — 'T will bless thee; and thou shalt be a 
blessing." It is quite remarkable that the apostle should here men- 
tion first of all only the second of these two, — not the application 
of the covenant to the individual and the family, but the world-wide 
scope of it, — "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." 
(3) The mission of the risen Son of God was, first of all, to them. 
Here Peter emphasizes the first part of the covenant promise. 
This mission of the IMessiah was one of blessing. He came, ''not 
to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be 
saved." That blessing was in turning them away every one of 
them from their iniquities. 

The apostle's address closes, as it began, with his clear and 
undoubting, though incidental, testimony to the resurrection of 
Jesus Christ from the dead, — "Unto you first God, having raised 
up His Servant, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one 
of you from your iniquities." 



Verse 25. The unspeakable privileges of the covenant children. — Vs. 26. 
The blessedness of being turned avray from all our iniquities. 

Vs. 26. ]\Iar\-elous ]Mercy. 

I. He was sent to bless. 
II. With the greatest blessing. 
III. The most wicked first. — {The Houiilisf.) 

Vss. 12-13. The i\IoR,\L Aspect of Physical Blessixg. 

The speech of Peter may be regarded as 
I. Showing the false method of looking at human affairs. 
II. Showing the true method of regarding the most extraordinary events. 

III. Showing the only m.ethod of setting man right with God. 

IV. Showing the sublime object of Jesus Christ's incarnation. 

(Parker, Rev. Dr. Joseph.) 

Vs. 26. Personal Holiness the Great Blessing. 

I. The message of the Gospel is a message of blessing. 
II. The great blessing the Gospel imparts is perfect holiness. 

III. The only way and means of procuring and imparting this great blessing 

is the incarnation and death of Christ. 

IV. The necessity of making this great object of Christ's mission a personal 

matter. — {Spring, Rev. Dr, Gardiner.) 

53 



IV: 1-4] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



This notable assembly began at the Hour of Prayer, and was 
broken up with the closing in of evening. There must have been 
''great searchings of hearts," as they left the Temple Courts that 
summer evening, and in the gloaming sought their homes, still 
wondering at the miracle they had witnessed, and pondering the 
pregnant truths which they had heard that afternoon. 

But for the' faithful witnesses there was no home-going in the 
quiet shadows. They must spend the night in the prison-house. 



Sub-section 3. — The Arrest, — 4:1-12. 

I And as they spake unto the people, the priests and the captain of the 
temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being sore troubled because 
they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 
3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in ward unto the morrow; for 
it was now eventide. 4 But many of them that heard the word believed ; and 
the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 

S And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers and elders and 
scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6 and Annas the high-priest 
was there, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of 
the kindred of the high-priest. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, 
they inquired. By what power, or in what name, have ye done this? 8 Then 
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them. Ye rulers of the people, 
and elders, 9 if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to 
an impotent man, by what means this man is made whole; 10 be it known 
unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus of 
Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in Him 
doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 He is the stone which was set 
at nought of you, the builders, which was made the head of the corner. 12 
And in none other is there salvation : for neither is there any other name 
under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved. 



I. In Prison, — Vss. 1-4. 2. Before the Council, — Vss. 3-12;— (a) The In- 
quisition, — Vss. 5-7; — (b) The Answering Testimony, — Vss. 8-12. 



I. In Prison, — vss. 1-4. 

The ruling powers in Jerusalem at this time were Sadducees. 
They did not believe in the resurrection, nor in angels or spirits, — 

54 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [IV -.5-7 

and of course not in any future life at all. They were sore troubled 
by two things : ( i ) Their authority was being contravened by these 
''unlearned and ignorant" Galileans; — and (2) the burden of the 
preaching of these unauthorized teachers was ''the resurrection of 
the dead." 

The scope of apostolic teaching was either widening, or the 
rulers were wise enough to see the logical trend of the apostles' 
testimony. From their proclamation "in Jesus of the resurrection 
of the dead," either the apostles or their enemies drew the inevit- 
able inference of a general resurrection, and consequently of a life 
beyond the grave. This the rulers were not willing to believe; 
and, unable to answer the irrefutable testimony of the disciples, 
they determined to silence them by putting them into prison. 

But "the Word of God was not bound." The effects of that 
sermon in Solomon's Porch, and the general testimony of the faith- 
ful witnesses, were mighty; and a great company came to be 
believers, the number being about five thousand. Whether or not 
this means so many in addition to the Pentecostal harvest of three 
thousand is not clear. It is probable, however, that the whole 
number up to this date had come to be about five thousand. 



Verse 2. The rulers were troubled by the fact that the disciples pre- 
sumed to teach : but the people must be taught ; if they had become incompe- 
tent, they must be set aside. When the Church ceases to teach, other teach- 
ers will be raised up. The real trouble of the rulers was not the fact of the 
disciples teaching, but with the subject-matter of that teaching, i. e. the resur- 
rection. — Vs. 4. "That heard the word," — Compare 2 141 . These are the 
first uses of an expression quite common in this book of the Acts. Its sug- 
gestive meaning, lost to us in large measure, needs to be recovered. So true 
to the one great thought was the preaching of the witnesses, that their 
preaching came to be characterized as the "word," — one word, not many. 
Peter's first sermon resulted in the conversion of three thousand souls, his 
second in that of two thousand more. 



2. Before the Council, — vss. 5-12; — (a) The Inquisition, — 

The names and characters of the inquisitors are set forth in 
Luke's narrative. They were largely of one family. They were 
all unbelievers, — atheists probably, or at least agnostics. We may 

SS 



IV: 8-12] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



well wonder how they came to the place of supreme power. What 
interest they could have in maintaining the Levitical system is a 
fruitful subject of inquiry. Hypocrites undoubtedly they were, 
and clung to a ceremonial in which they no longer believed because 
of the emoluments of the positions to which they claimed a heredit- 
ary right. 

The points on which these rulers sought for information were 
two: — (i) The power by which they had wrought the miracle, — 
and (2) The name in which they had taught. These, in them- 
selves, might have been subjects of legitimate inquiry; and that 
inquiry might have been prosecuted from entirely proper motives. 
But this was not true of the inquisition of these Sadducean rulers. 

(b) The anszvering testimony, — vss. 8-12. 

This answer is voiced by Peter. He was filled with the Holy 
Spirit. It was given him in that hour what to say, according to 
the promise of their risen Lord (i\Iatt. 10:19). W^hat he said 
therefore was the voice of the Spirit. 

The points to be specially noted in this answer are these five, 
viz. — (i) The cripple of the gate had been healed in the name of 
Jesus of Nazareth; — (2) It was that Jesus whom they had cruci- 
fied; — (3) Him had God raised from the dead; — (4) He was the 
stone set at nought of the builders, but made the Head of the 
Corner, according to the prophet-psalmist's song (Psalm 118:22) ; 
— (5) In Him alone is salvation for all who call upon Him, — 
"Neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given 
among men, wherein we must be saved." 



Verses 7-10. The contrasted views of Christ. — Vs. 10. Giving all the 
glory to God. 

Vs. 8. Courage in the Preacher. 

I. The consciousness that he is in the right. 
II. Feeling that the message is not his but God's. 
III. The Divine Assurance of deliverance from danger, or in danger. 

Vs. 12. The One Only Way. 

I. The exclusiveness of the Gospel. 
II. The character that supports such claims. 
III. The hopelessness of men without the Gospel. 

S6 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM ■ [IV: 13-14 



Vs. 12. The One Saving Name. 

I. Salvation. 
II. Salvation by a Person. 

III. By a Person whose name is divinely made known. 

IV. Salvation is limited to that Person. — (Martin, Rev. Samuel) 

Vs. II. The Rejected Stone Honored. 

I. The Stone. 
II. The Stone Rejected. 

III. The Stone Accepted. — {Bonar, Rev. Dr. Horatius.) 

Sub-section 4. — The Release, — 4:13-22. 

13 Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had per- 
ceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled ; and they 
took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. 14 And, seeing the 
man that was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 
15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the Council, they 
conferred among themselves, 16 saying, What shall we do to these men? 
for that indeed a notable miracle hath been wrought through them is mani- 
fest to all that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 17 But that it 
spread no further among the people let us threaten them, that they speak 
henceforth to no man, in this name. 18 And they called them, and charged 
them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and 
John answered and said unto them, Whether it is right in the sight of God 
to hearken unto you rather than unto God, judge ye: 20 for we cannot but 
speak the things which we saw and heard. 21 And they, when they had fur- 
ther threatened them, let them go, finding nothing how they might punish 
them, because of the people; for all men glorified God for that which was 
done. 22 For the man was more than forty years old, on whom this miracle 
of healing was wrought. 



I. The Dilemma of the Rulers, — vss. 13-14. 2. The Executive Session, — 
vss. 15-18. 3. The Answer of the Apostles, — vss. 19-20. 4. The Dis- 
missal, — vss. 21-22. 



I. The Dilemma of the Rulers, — vss. 1^-14^^ 

The boldness of the prisoners made a deep impression on the 
Sanhedrin. Boldness in a good cause will usually profoundly 
impress even its enemies. The rulers wondered all the more, when 
they perceived that Peter and John were "unlearned and ignorant 

57 



IV: 13-14] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



men," — i. e., not that they were utterly destitute of knowledge, but 
that they were without the education of their schools. They were 
not graduates of any of their rabbinical institutions, nor enrolled 
among the pupils of any of their learned rabbis; and yet they 
spake with a cogency of reasoning, and facility of utterance, and 
knowledge of their sacred writings, that were amazing and 
irresistible. 

The only explanation of this phenomenon that occurred to 
them was the fact that they ''had been with Jesus." They saw in 
the unlearned fisher-folk the same courage, honesty, sincerity, and 
fearlessness of consequences in their devotion to the truth, which 
they had marked in the Nazarene. And they marveled at them, as 
before they had marveled at their Master (John 7:15). And 
with the cripple of the gate standing before them in the company 
of the disciples, wholly restored, their mouths were stopped. 



Verse 13. Wondering is not believing; there is nothing saving in mere 
unspiritual and critical curiosity. 



I. It was boldness for the right. 
II. It was manly and self-sacrificing. 

III. It was originated and sustained by fellowship with Jesus. 

(The Homilist.) 



Vs. 13. Being with Jesus. 



I. 
II. 
III. 



We cannot be with Him without being like Him. 
If we have been with Jesus others will know it. 
If we are with Jesus we shall have unusual power. 



Vs. 13. Christian Boldness. 



Vs. 13. Christ's People Imitators of Him. 



I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 



What a believer should be. 

When he should be so. 

Why he should be so. 

How he should be so. — {Spurge on.) 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [IV: 15-18 



Vs. 13. Being with Jesus. 

I. Giving boldness in Testimony. 

II. Compassion for sinners. 

III. The exaltation of Christ. 

IV. Emphasizing the need of faith. 

Vs. 14. Righteous Boldness. 

I. The occasion of the courage. 
II. The secret of it. 

III. The characteristics of it. 

I. Courtesy; — 2. Prudence; — 3. Frankness; — 4. Fidelity. 

IV. The effect of it. — {Johnson, Rev. Dr. Herrick.) 



2. The Executive Session, — vss. 15-18. 

But something must be done. So the Council sent the prisoners 
out for a time, till they should determine what course to pursue. 
They find themselves confronting three troublesome problems, 
viz. — (i) The undeniable fact of the miracle. This was known to 
everybody in the city. The man was over forty years of age 
on whom it had been wrought. He had been a cripple from 
his birth; and, sitting so long at the Beautiful Gate, had become 
one of the most widely known persons in all Jerusalem. And now 
he is seen to be perfectly and suddenly whole. This fact is known 
to every one; and it is impossible for them to call it in question; — 
(2) It is equally impossible for them to punish the disobedience 
of Peter and John, because of the high repute in which they were 
held by the people; — (3) Yet it is imperative that they do some- 
thing to reassert their waning authority. 

And this was their conclusion! — *'That it spread no further 
among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak henceforth 
to no man in this name." It was certainly a "lame and impotent 
conclusion!" but what more could they do? 

So, they recalled the apostles, and with dire threatenings com- 
manded them not to speak to any one, or teach and preach any 
more at all in the name of Jesus. 

Vss. 14-18. Searing the Conscience. 

I. The rejection of light. 
II. Vain opposition to the truth of God. 
III. Futile efforts to hinder the work of the Lord. 

59 



IV: 19-20] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



3. The Answer of the Apostles, — vss. ip-20. 

This answering testimony of Peter and John is quite notable. 
Two things, they plainly tell the Sanhedrin, must forever prevent 
them from complying with this command, viz. — (i) God's com- 
mand, under which they were acting, must supersede any contrary 
human authority; — (2) Their function as witnesses bound them 
to the constant delivery of their testimony. ''We cannot but speak 
the things we saw and heard." "We speak that which we know, 
and bear witness of that which we have seen." Thus their parting 
word to the Council was an indirect but easily understood and 
solemn asseveration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the 
dead. 



Verses 19-20. The work of the Gospel admits of no evasion or com- 
promise. Everything else must bow before its claims. 



4. The Dismissal, — vss. 21-22. 

The cripple of the gate stood with the two apostles. Appar- 
ently he had shared their night behind the bars ; and now with 
them goes forth to their reluctantly accorded freedom. 

Searing their consciences, and stifling conviction, the rulers 
sent them forth without reply, — these faithful witnesses, with 
renewed and emphatic, but futile, threatenings against the 
continuance of their work. 



Verse 22, The case of an old sinner is not hopeless. Late-coming 
mercy is oftentimes abounding mercy. 

Vs. 22. Lessons from the Lame Beggar's Case. 

I. The unsatisfying nature of all your past experience. 
11. The unexpected blessing, just now it may be, in store for you. 
in. The condition on which this blessing may become yours. 
IV. The increasing improbabilities of your ever securing it. 

60 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [IV 123 



Sub-section 5. — The United Prayer, — 4:23-31. 

23 And being let go, they came to their own company, and reported all 
that the chief priests and the elders had said unto them. 24 And they, when 
they heard it, lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, O Lord, 
Thou didst make the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that in them 
is : 25 who by the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father, David Thy 
servant, didst say, 

Why did the Gentiles rage, 
And the peoples imagine vain things? 
26 The kings of the earth set themselves in array, 
Against the Lord, and against his Anointed: 

27 for of a truth in this city against Thy holy Servant Jesus, whom Thou 
didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the 
peoples of Israel, were gathered together, 28 to do whatsoever Thy hand 
and Thy counsel foreordained to come to pass. 29 And now. Lord, look 
upon their threatenings : and grant unto Thy servants to speak Thy word 
with all boldness, 30 while Thou stretchest forth Thy hand to heal; and 
that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Thy holy Servant 
Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they 
were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and 
they spake the word of God with boldness. 



I. The Report to their Own, — vs. 23. 2. The United Prayer, — vss. 24-30. 
3. The Heavenly Answer, — vs. 31. 



I. The Report to Their Own, — vs. 2^. 

The message carried to ''their own" by Peter and John had 
reference to what the rulers had said to them, and the command 
they had laid upon them. Modestly they seem to have said nothing 
of their own brave and fitting reply, — if indeed it be not Luke, who, 
having once recorded it, thinks it unnecessary to mention it again. 

The report led them to prayer. Happy they who are so moved 
by any and all of life's perplexities ! 



Verse 23. Reporting to "their own" brought them tidings of their first 
conflict with their rulers. Many others are to follow, the issue of which only 
their Lord and Master foreknew. 



61 



IV: 24-30] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 23. Company. 
I. Every man has his company. 

XL Sometimes men are restrained from keeping the company of their 
friends. 

III. When these restrictions are removed men return to the company of 
their choice. — {Taylor, Rev. Dr. William M.) 



2. The United Prayer, — vss. 24-^0. 

The manner of this prayer is noteworthy; viz. — (i) They have 
but one mind; — (2) They come to God as universal Sovereign, 
turning thus from all human authority to the Divine; — (3) They 
recall the Messianic word in Psalm 2:1-2, and find in it support 
for their faith and reasons for praise. 

They recognize the opposition of their rulers as something 
foreseen and foretold. The enmity of Herod and Pilate, and the 
Sanhedrin, was only carrying out the Divine Plan. Therefore 
they are not discouraged, and have no thought of giving up the 
struggle. But they are not blind to the fact that a serious conflict is 
impending. 

Therefore they ask for two things; — (i) That on their part 
they may have great boldness in giving their testimony; and 
(2) That on His part God would grant healing power with signs 
and wonders in the name of His holy Servant Jesus, in confirma- 
tion of their great commission. 



Verse 24. The Power above and the powers beneath. — ^Vss. 25-26. 
Quoting to the Lord the words of the Holy Spirit is a mighty method of 
prayer. — ^Vs. 28. It is a great comfort to know that even wicked men are 
fulfilling the counsels of God. — Vs. 29. The blessed work cannot stop be- 
cause men oppose it, — "The story must be told." 

Vs. 30. The Holy Child Jesus. 

I. The real humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
II. That humanity as here described. 
III. The glory of His Humanity. — {Spurge on.) 

62 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [IV: 31 



3. The Heavenly Answer, — vs. 5 J. 

The place was mightily shaken wherein they were gathered 
together for this united prayer. It was a new experience, and a 
mighty encouragement to that praying company, that their prayers 
were heard by a God powerful enough to shake the frame-work of 
the world. 

They were all filled anew with the Holy Spirit, and were 
enabled to speak the Word of God with all boldness. How puny 
and insignificant must have seemed all the oppositions of mortal 
men in the face of the omnipotent resources upon which they were 
encouraged to draw ! The boldness of the witnesses was due to 
the shaking world, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. 

Vss. 18-31. Christian Courage. 

I. The test of the apostles' courage. 

II. The manifestation of that courage. 

III. The source of their courage. — (Boynton, Rev. G. M.) 

Vss. 31-32. The Benefit of United Prayer, 

I. The prayer they offered. II. The answer they received. 

Simeon {Horcs Homileticce). 

Vs. 32. A Multitude in Harmony. 

I. A multitude believing the Gospel of Christ. 
11. A multitude living in the constant exercise of prayer. 

III. A multitude filled with the Holy Spirit. 

IV. A multitude inspired with mutual love and concern in a time of com- 

mon danger and need. 
V. A multitude in harmony as the result of all this. 

{Wagstaff, Rev. F.) 

Section 3. — The Testimony of True and False Witnesses, — 4:32 5:16. 

SuB-SECTiON I. — The Self-sacriUcing Believers, — 4:32-37. 

32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul: 
and not one of them said that aught of the things which he possessed was 
his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave 
the apostles their witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great 
grace was upon them all. 34 For neither was there among them any that 
lacked : for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and 
brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the 

63 



IV: 33] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto each, according as any one 
had need. 

36 And Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, 
being interpreted, Son of Exhortation), a Levite, a man of Cyprus by race, 
37 having a field, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' 
feet 



I. The powerful testimony of the apostles, — vs. 33. 2. The effect of their 
preaching, — vss. 33-33. 3. The communism of the brethren, — vss. 32 and 
34. 4. Barnabas, — vss. 36-37. 



I. The powerful testimony of the apostles, — vs. jj. 

This testimony was not merely telling the story of the resur- 
rection of Jesus. No special "power" would have been necessary 
for doing this, and only this. It was manifestly such a proclama- 
tion of the resurrection and enthronement of Jesus of Nazareth at 
the right hand of the Father as made all earthly concernments 
seem comparatively trivial. It was a preaching that put supreme 
emphasis upon spiritual and eternal things. 



Verse 33. The position of these words indicates that the love, unity, and 
self-sacrifice, even to the parting with worldly goods and possessions, grew 
out of the preaching of the resurrection of Christ. Why? What was there 
in this teaching likely to produce this result? Was it not the all-dominating 
influence of spiritual things, growing out of a profound realization that their 
Lord, so lately among them their companion, teacher, guide, and friend, was 
indeed the risen and exalted Saviour, Son of God? 

Vs. 33. Consequences of the Resurrection, 

I. If Christ rose. His Supreme Deity is an eternal verity. 
II. If He rose, there can be no controversy about the reality and sufficiency 
of His atoning sacrifice. 

III. If he rose, we have a Divine Seal to the truth and value of the Old 

Testament. 

IV. If He rose, the rewards and retributions of the future life are an awful 

certainty. 

64 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [IV: 32-33 



2. The effect of their preaching, — vss. 32-^^. 

Great grace was given to all the disciples. Under the circum- 
stances these words evidently mean that their progress in holy 
living and the triumph of gracious principles in their hearts became 
more and more manifest. This reign of grace among them and 
over them showed itself in the spirit of love and concord which 
pervaded the entire body of believers. They were of "one heart 
and one mind." 

Vs. 33. The Happy State of the Primitive Church. 

Great Grace appeared in their united supplications. 
Also in their steadfast adherence to the apostles' doctrine. 
Also in a constant adherence to the worship and service of God. 
Also in their great love one to another. 
Also in their fullness of holy joy. 

Also in their spirit and deportment before the world. 

{The Preacher.) 

Vs. 33. The Witnesses' Testimony. 

Their testimony was with "great power" by reason of the great num- 
ber bearing witness. 
Also by reason of their well-known character. 

Also in that there were among them consistence, boldness, and corre- 
spondent behavior. 
Also in that they brought to their support the types and statutes or- 
dained of God of this great thing to come. 
Also in that it left His adversaries destitute of any satisfaction or 

reasonable replication. 
Also in that it was accompanied with the confirmation and blessing of 
God, and produced great and extensive conviction. 

{Bishop Dehon.) 



3. The communism of the brethren, — vss. 32 and 34. 

We had a glimpse of this subject in the second chapter. It is 
now time, and this is the place, to consider it more at length. 
No adequate consideration can be given to it, without reference to 
other passages of Scripture, in connection with this episode in the 
development of the Church. They are such as these, which the 
reader is requested to search out and ponder, viz. — Acts 2 :44-45, — 

65 



1. 

H. 
HI. 
IV. 

V. 
VI. 



I. 

n. 

HI. 
IV. 
V. 
VI. 



IV: 32, 34] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



5:4, — 6:1, — I Tim., 5:8, — 6:6-10, and 6:17-18. From the passage 
before us, illuminated by these Scriptures, the following points 
are clear, viz. — (i) The distribution of worldly goods was the 
result of the prevalence of a spirit of universal love and concord 
among believers; — (2) It was a temporary expedient tO' meet an 
extraordinary and urgent, but probably not long-continued, neces- 
sity; — (3) The personal right to property was distinctly recognized, 
as we shall soon see more definitely; and the evidence is not clear 
that all believers cast all their resources into the common treasury. 
Mary, the mother of John Mark, e. g., had a house of her own in 
Jerusalem (12:12); so Philip the evangeUst had his, at a later 
period, in Csesarea (21:8), and Mnason of Cyprus seems to have 
had one in Jerusalem, for with him Paul and his companions were 
to lodge on their final return to the Holy City (21:16); — (4) Dis- 
tribution was made, as would seem, not to every member of the 
believing brotherhood, but only to such of them as were in need ; — 
(5) The duty of the Church to care for the poor of her member- 
ship was thus made perfectly clear; — (6) The Diaconate or deacon- 
ship was instituted for this very purpose. 

The lessons of this episode among primitive believers for the 
modern Church are equally plain, viz. — (i) Christian people ought 
not to need to join mutual benefit orders and benevolent associa- 
tions, made up indiscriminately of believers and unbelievers, to 
get help in the day of their distresses. They ought to be able to 
find that help in the loving company of their fellow-believers ; — 

(2) That such provision may lead many to join the Church merely 
for "the loaves and the fishes" is doubtless true ; and extraordinary 
safeguards must ever be provided against such a hypocritical abuse 
of the Church's liberality, nevertheless the obligation resting upon 
the household of faith to care for "her own" is imperative; — 

(3) — Distribution must be governed now, as in earlier times, by 
one consideration alone, — the being in need; — (4) "If a man will 
not work, neither shall he eat"; — (5) If he works, he should have 
the due reward of his toil. 



Verse 32. "The things that he possessed" seems to recognize personal 
rights in property. — Vss. 34-35- "As many as were possessors, etc.," are 
words to be explained in the light of other Scriptures, as e. g. 12:12. 

66 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM 



[IV: 36-37 



4. Barnabas, — vss. 36-^ f. 

His nativity: — he was born in Cyprus. He was one of the 
Jews of the dispersion. 

His name : — The apostles called him a "Son of exhortation," — 
or, as the Authorized Version reads it, a "Son of consolation." It 
is not an easy word to translate by a single English term. It was 
given him probably because he had that gift of public speech which 
had in it an unusually large element of both strength and comfort. 

His conduct in this emergency is notable. His course is men- 
tioned perhaps as a single illustration of what may have been quite 
common, and possibly to set forth his self-devotion in contrast 
with the self-seeking of Ananias and Sapphira. There are two 
suggestive reasons why his case is probably specified, viz. — (i) He 
was himself a sojourner in Jerusalem, — a Cypriote by birth, — and 
in a position therefore to sympathize with those who had been 
detained in the city by the wonderful events of the new era, and 
who by this unexpected stay were stranded, their resources being 
exhausted; — (2) He, perhaps first of all, sold his land to help his 
brethren. Luke does not tell us where the land was; and it is of 
no consequence for us to know whether it was in Jerusalem or 
Cyprus. To a Jew of the earlier day the seUing of his land would 
have been the last supreme act of self-sacrificing devotion. Peter 
Bayne, in "The Days of Jezebel," has pictured, in the words of 
Naboth, the attachment of the people to their divinely allotted 
inheritance : — 

"This is the cause why none may sell his land ; — 
Our Lord is gracious and compassionate; 
His justice, from its equal wings outspread 
In blessings o'er the land, sheds dews of love; 
And He would have us nestle to our homes, 
And hold them as our special gift from Him; 
So that while, gliding by our pleasant hills. 
The quiet waters linger in our vales. 
While breaks the gleam of many flowers. 
In dazzling sheen, beneath the sky of spring, 
While lilies blow, while olives bear their fruit. 
While vine-leaves cling about the cottage porch, 
Their voices shall be ever in our ears. 
As of a thousand angel-witnesses, 
In delicate acclaim, reminding us 

67 



IV: 36-37] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Of our dear father's kindness. It may be 

That other lands bear statelier crowns of palm, 

More wealth of yellow corn, and lordlier bloom 

Of flowers resplendent; but could any be 

So sweet to us, so moving to our hearts, 

So musical with tenderest memories. 

As the dear land that we have always known; 

The fig-tree up to which our mothers held 

Our little hands, when we were in their arms? 

The very vine from which, with trembling joy, 

We culled a cluster ere we went, at eve, 

To see the maiden of our earliest love? 

Ah, no ! Our Father knoweth that no place 

Can tell so much of Him as home." — (Act IV, Scene 2.) 

Something of this old spirit doubtless still lingered in apostolic 
days. But Barnabas, preeminent in self-sacrifice, was ready to 
lead his brethren even in this supreme devotion, to meet the sudden 
and unlooked-for emergency. He was every way worthy to be 
singled out among those who made such a sacrifice of their most 
precious things for the common good. 



Vss. 2)^-37. Great-minded Barnabas. 

His relations 

I. To his brethren in the communal system, — 4:36-37. 
II. To the new and wonderful developments at Antioch, — 11:23-24. 
III. To the apostle Paul, — 9 :27 and 1 1 :25. 



Sub-section 2. — The Self-seeking Hypocrites, — 5:1-11. 

I But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a pos- 
session, 2 and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and 
brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, 
Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to 
keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, did it not 
remain thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thy power? 
How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart? Thou 
hast not lied unto men, but unto God. 5 And Ananias hearing these words 
fell down and gave up the ghost: and great fear came upon all that heard it 
6 And the young men arose and wrapped him round, and carried him out and 
buried him. 

68 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM 



[V:i-3 



7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not 
knowing what was done, came in, 8 and Peter answered unto her, Tell me 
whether ye sold the land for so much. And she answered, Yea, for so much. 
9 But Peter said unto her. How is it that ye have agreed together to try 
the Spirit of the Lord? behold the feet of them that have buried thy hus- 
band are at the door, and they shall carry thee out. lo And she fell down im- 
mediately at his feet, and gave up the ghost; and the young men came in 
and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband. 
II And great fear came upon the whole Church, and upon all that heard 
these things. 



I. The sin of these hypocrites, — vss. 1-3. 2. The explanation of their sin. 
3. The exposure of their sin, — vss. 4-9. 4. The punishment of their sin, 
— vss. 5 and p. 



It was an aggravated case of lying, under circumstances that 
made it particularly heinous in the sight of God. 

It was lying, not to men, but to God, — against the Holy Spirit, 
who is the Spirit of truth. This distribution of worldly goods was 
made under the direct influence of the Spirit of God. To seek to 
circumvent the arrangement, while professing to carry it out, was 
deliberate and shameful lying to the Holy Spirit. 

It was also a sin against the testimony of the witnesses. 
Through that powerful testimony the disciples had been led to 
this extraordinary manifestation of practical Christian love. 



I. The sin of these hypocrites, — vss. i-j. 



Vss. i-io. The Vice of Speech. 



I. 

II. 
III. 
IV. 



Agricultural falsehoods. 
Commercial lies. 
Social lies. 

Ecclesiastical lies. — {Talmage, Rev. Dr. T. DeWitt.) 



Vss. i-ii. Ananias and Sapphira. 



I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 



The character of their sin. 
The origin of it. 
The discovery of it. 

The punishment of it. — (Atwood, Rev. E. S.) 



V:i-9] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 
Vss. i-ii. Ananias and Sapphira. 
1. The Scene. II. The Sin. III. The Motive. IV. The Punishment. 

Vs. 2. Withholding a Part. 

I. It was a purely voluntary service. 
II. Theirs was a lie amidst abounding mercies. 
III. Compare Ananias with Achan. 



2. The explanation of their sin. 

All sin is folly, and oftentimes inexplicable. But sometimes it 
is possible for us to trace the probable causes of transgression. 
It is so here. Their sin was due (i) To an inordinate love of 
praise, and the desire to be thought well of by others; — (2) To an 
inordinate love of money and material possessions; and (3) To 
the absence of an all-conquering and self-forgetting love of the 
brotherhood of believers. 

There was but one way in w^hich they could gratify the first 
without sacrificing the second, — that was by a course of agreed 
hypocrisy. All hypocrisy has in it an element of premeditation. 
No one becomes a hypocrite suddenly, and, so to speak, thought- 
lessly. One must contrive and plan, if one would be a hypocrite. 

In the case of Ananias and Sapphira there was the additional 
element of conspiracy. They two had evidently talked the matter 
over, planned it out, and agreed together upon a course, by which, 
as they supposed, they would be able to keep at least a part of their 
possessions, and at the same time secure the good opinion of the 
Church and its leaders, as truly as Barnabas, — of whose good 
repute among the brethren they may have been somewhat envious. 



3. The exposure of their sin, — vss. 4-p. 

It is hardly necessary to suppose that Peter had received any 
divine intim.ation of what Ananias and Sapphira were doing. It 
is not easy for even one person, planning to do wrong, to conceal 
his purpose. But for two to enter upon an agreed course of wicked- 

70 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [V:i-9 



ness is much more difficult; and it is almost impossible for them 
to cover their tracks. It was probably so here. Peter had, as 
seems likely, observed something in their manner, v^hich led him 
to suspect that they were acting crookedly. 

He takes therefore a favorable opportunity to examine them 
separately. Yet he asks them no question which an honest person 
would have any difficulty in answering. But in the asking he 
brings into the light the enormity of their sin. The land had been 
their own. Their right and title to it could not have been called 
in question. They had a perfect right to sell it if they wished ; but 
they were not compelled to do so. There was no compulsion what- 
soever in this community of goods. And when the land had 
been sold, the money, — price of the same, — was still theirs of 
absolute right. It was their right also to bring only a part to the 
common treasury, and to retain the remainder for their own 
private use. They were under no obligation, but that of love, to 
bring all of it. But they had brought only a part, wishing it to be 
thought the whole. They had agreed together to do this. Their 
sin was no sudden and desperate clinging to a vanishing treasure, 
but a planned and deliberate counting out so much for the common 
fund, and so much for themselves, meaning all the time to give 
the impression that they were giving up all they had in the world, 
and hoping, as it would seem, to be esteemed self-sacrificingly 
liberal, and to be exalted by the Church to the high plane occupied 
by Barnabas and others, as those who had given up even their 
homes for the common weal. So they came to God with a 
lie in their right hand. They had sold themselves to work this 
wickedness. 



4. The punishment of their sin, — vss. 5 and p. 

This punishment was condign, immediate and terrible. If we 
are disposed to think this punishment unduly severe, a number of 
considerations may lead us to revise our judgment. 

For one thing, their sin was the flaunting of a lie in the very 
face of the Almighty God of truth. It was like the sin of Nadab 
and Abihu, with their strange fire on the altar, without their prob- 
able excuse of drunkenness. 



71 



V: 12-13] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



For another thing, their sin was, in a special and flagrant 
degree, dishonoring to the Holy Spirit of purity and truth. 

And, once more, the contagion of avarice had a specially favor- 
able field in this communal system ; and it was imperative to rebuke, 
with unrelenting sternness, the first manifestation of it among the 
brotherhood of believers. 

So these lying hypocrites were suddenly cut ofif. And great 
fear came upon the whole Church, and upon all who heard these 
things. 

Sub-section 3. — Works of Mercy and Healing, — 5:12-16. 

12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders 
wrought among the people ; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's 
Porch. 13 But of the rest durst no man join himself to them: howbeit the 
people magnified them ; 14 and believers were the more added to the Lord, 
multitudes of both men and women; 15 insomuch that they even carried out 
the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that, as Peter 
came by, at least his shadow might overshadow some one of them. 16 And 
there also came together the multitude from the cities round about Jerusa- 
lem, bringing sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and 
they were healed every one. 



I. The public assemblies of believers, — vss. 12-13. 2. The extraordinary mir- 
acles, — vss. 12-15. 3. The great growth of the Church, — vs. 14. 



I. The public assemblies of believers, — vss. 1^-13. 

The place of meeting was in Solomon's Porch. They needed 
it to accommodate their increasing numbers. It was to many of 
them doubtless a place hallowed by sweet memories of Peter's 
powerful and tender sermon on the occasion of the healing of 
the cripple of the gate. 

These assemblies were characterized by an unusual solemnity. 
Since the judgment and destruction of the hypocrites they must 
have realized, as never before, that they were in the presence of 
the heart-searching God. 

These public assemblies were marked also by the pervading 
influences of a holy love and sweet concord. 

72 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [V: 12-15 



2. The extraordinary miracles, — vss. 12-15. 

An unusual number of signs and wonders were wrought at this 
time by the apostles; and they were all works of healing. The 
prayer of the disciples (4:30) had been answered in a remarkable 
way. And people thronged the city from the regions round about, 
to share in the blessings sent down from the Great Physician. 

Many of these miracles were wrought in peculiar and strange 
methods. When God wishes, He can make Peter's shadow, and 
handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul's body (19:12), alike effec- 
tive channels of healing power. 

They were wrought no doubt, as was the miracle at the Beauti- 
ful Gate of the temple, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth; and so 
were irrefutable evidences of the resurrection of our Lord, and of 
His enthronement at the right hand of Sovereign Power on High ! 



Verse 15. The avenues to superstition are always open. To many 
Peter's shadow might easily become more interesting than Peter's message. 
On the other hand, in seasons of religious interest, the Holy Spirit may use 
the most trivial thing to awaken men. "That man preaches the Gospel in 
the way he crosses the street," was said of a faithful minister. The appear- 
ance of evangelists in a thoroughfare, during a protracted meeting, has been 
known to awaken conviction among careless onlookers. — Vs. 16. Note the 
compassion and condescending mercy of the risen Christ. The prophecy was 
still fulfilled, — "Himself took our infirmities and bare our diseases." Through 
bodily healing life from the dead came to many souls. 

Vs. 15. Our Unconscious Influence. 

I. Every one exerts an unconscious influence, 
n. Our unconscious influence is the most important and mighty that we 
exert. 

III. For our unconscious influence we are most solemnly responsible. 

IV. We may all cast healing shadows, if we will. — (The Treasury.) 



3. The great growth of the Church, — vs. 14. 

In the atmosphere of love and harmony, in which the brethren 
lived, the Divine Spirit found a congenial sphere for His gracious 
work; and a great multitude of both men and women came to 
believe, and identified themselves with the household of faith. 

73 



V: 17-42] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

The people generally magnified the company of believers ; while 
unbelievers stood in awe of them, and durst not join themselves 
to them. 



Section 4. — The Testimony of the Prisoners, — 5:17-42. 

17 But the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him (which 
is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy, 18 and laid 
hands on the apostles, and put them in public ward. 19 But an angel of the 
Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out, and said, 20 
Go ye, and stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this 
life. 21 And when they heard this, they entered into the temple about day- 
break, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, 
and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, 
and sent to the prison-house to have them brought. 22 But the officers that 
came found them not in the prison; and they returned, and told, 23 saying, 
The prison-house we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing at the 
doors : but when we had opened, we found no man within. 24 Now when 
the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these words, they were 
much perplexed concerning them whereunto this would grow. 25 And there 
came one and told them, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are in the 
temple standing and teaching the people. 26 Then went the captain with 
the officers, and brought them, but without violence; for they feared the 
people, lest they should be stoned. 27 And when they had brought them, 
they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, 
We strictly charged you not to teach in this name : and behold, ye have filled 
Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. 
29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said. We must obey God rather 
than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom 3'e slew, hang- 
ing Him on a tree. 31 Him did God exalt with His right hand to be a 
Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. 
32 And we are witnesses of these things ; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom 
God hath given to them that obey Him. 

33 But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were 
minded to slay them. 34 But there stood up one in the council, a Pharisee, 
named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in honor of all the people, and 
commanded to put the men forth a little while. 35 And he said unto them, 
Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touching these men, what ye 
are about to do. 36 For before these days rose up Theudas, giving himself 
out to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined 
themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, 
and came to nought. 37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days 
of the enrollment, and drew away some of the people after him : he also 
perished; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad. 38 And 
now I say unto you. Refrain from these men, and let them alone : for if this 

74 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [V 117-21^ 



counsel or this work be of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, 
ye will not be able to overthrow them; lest haply ye be found even to be 
fighting against God. 

40 And to him they agreed; and when they had called the apostles unto 
them, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, 
and let them go. 41 They therefore departed from the presence of the coun- 
cil, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name. 
42 And every day in the temple and at home they ceased not to teach and 
to preach Jesus as the Christ. 



I. The imprisonment and deliverance, — vss. i7-2ia. 2. The rearrest and 
arraignment, — vss. 2ib-28. 3. The answer of the prisoners, — vss. 29-32. 
4. Gamaliel's counsel, — vss. 33-39. 5. The release, — vss. 40-42. 



I. The imprisonment and deliverance, — vss. iy-2ia. 

The same enemies confront the witnesses as were met before 
by Peter and John. The Sadducees, by virtue of their belief, or 
disbelief, must needs war against the preaching of the risen 
Nazarene. They were filled with "jealousy," or zeal; and zeal 
in a bad cause makes an implacable foe. 

A certain measure of autonomy seems to have belonged to the 
Sanhedrin under the Roman Government. So the rulers silenced 
the witnesses again, not by argument, but by. arbitrary power. But 
these rulers confronted more than the fisher-folk of Galilee. God 
was a factor in the new era, with whom they had not counted on 
reckoning. And it was He who sent His angel to open the prison 
doors, and to renew their commission. 

The Temple Courts furnished the witnesses a pulpit, and a con- 
gregation as well. Those who assembled thus early could not 
perhaps attend at the hour of morning prayer; but the gracious 
Lord would not have them overlooked. The eventide message had 
been one of peace (4:3) ; the morning voice is to be one of life 
(5:20-21). 



Verse 19. "God delivers us from trouble, not that we may take our ease, 
but that we may enter more earnestly upon His work." — {Henry.) 

75 



V: 21^-28] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 20. The Evangelistic Commission. 

I. "Go ye." Those who need to be evangelized will not come to you. Ye 
must go to them. 

II. "Stand." The salvation of men is not a work you can sit down to in an 
easy-going effort. Jesus Himself "sat" and taught His believing fol- 
lowers. But when He would reach the unsaved, He "stood and 
cried, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.' " 
III. "All the words of this life." Life from the dead is in the word which 
we preach. It is life through the atoning Christ. We are to pro- 
claim the whole message, — "all the words of this life." 



2. The rearrest and arraignment, — vss. 2ib-28. 

The narrative here presents two vivid and suggestive pictures, 
viz. — (i) The faithful witnesses in the early dawn proclaiming 
Jesus and the Resurrection, — preaching "all the words of this life," 
in the precincts of the temple, — and (2) The rulers of the people 
in grand council assembled, vainly waiting for their prisoners, and 
later astounded by the report of their escape from jail. 

These witnesses had invisible defenders in the risen Saviour 
whom they preached, and also in the esteem of the common people, 
so that even the authorities did not dare to offer them any violence. 

The charge on which the prisoners were arraigned embraced 
three specifications, viz. — (i) Disobedience to authority; — (2) Fill- 
ing the city with their unauthorized doctrine; — and (3) The 
purposing to bring the blood of the Nazarene upon the heads of 
their rulers. They had, indeed, before Pilate said, ''His blood be 
on us and on our children," but the imprecation was proving a 
heavier burden than they were able or wiUing to bear. 

Vs. 25. Duty, Not Consequences. 

1. Their duty. 
II. Their decision. 

III. Their disregard of consequences. — {Hallo ck, Rev. Dr. G. B. F.) 



3. The answer of the prisoners, — vss. 2p-j2. 

This answer emphasizes the law and the facts in the case : — 
(i) The law was plain, — so plain that in other circumstances even 
the rulers themselves must have admitted it, i. e., No ordinance 

76 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [V: 33-37 



of man can bind the conscience in opposition to the command of 
God, — "We must obey God rather than man"; — (2) The facts 
were equally incontrovertible. God had raised from the dead that 
Jesus of Nazareth whom they had crucified. 

They go further than the bare attestation of the facts. They 
proclaim the Nazarene as the exalted Saviour; — "Him did God 
exalt with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give 
repentance to Israel and remission of sins." 

Of these extraordinary facts they solemnly avow themselves 
the Divinely appointed witnesses. 

An additional element of apostolic teaching at this point was 
the concurring witness of the Holy Spirit. That Spirit of truth 
could not attest a lie ; and His manifest presence among the disciples 
was a demonstration of the resurrection and enthronement of the 
Son of God. "We are witnesses of these things; and so is the 
Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey Him." 



4. Gamaliel's counsel, — vss. 33-39. 

This Rabbi was a Pharisee in an assembly that seemed to be 
largely Sadducean. He was both wise and politic ; and his counsel 
was in accord with their Sadducean indifference. So it met with 
general favor. 

He fortifies his counsel, however, with some recent historical 
instances, — the cases of Theudas and Judas, false teachers and 
presumptuous leaders, whose schemes had come to nought. And 
his citation of these cases gave the impression that he believed that 
the end would not be different in the matter before them. 

As a Pharisee GamaHel could not have had the objection of the 
Sadducees to the preaching of the doctrine of the resurrection and 
a future life. But he was wise enough to see that in this contro- 
versy the Sanhedrin was losing ground. He would save their 
authoritative position by letting matters drift awhile, and waiting 
to see what this new movement would come to. If it came to 
nothing, they would lose nothing by a do-nothing policy. And 
if it were of God, they would not be found in an untenable and 
disastrous position. 

It was counsel that did credit to Gamaliel's astuteness. But 
all the same it was woefully defective. It was not a time for an 

77 



V:40-42] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



attitude of indifference, especially in one holding a position of 
influence and power. With his prepossessions in favor of the 
doctrine of the resurrection, he might have been expected to give 
the testimony of the witnesses at least a candid and earnest, if not 
favorable, consideration. And just now especially, and to him 
particularly, were the Lord's words solemnly applicable, — "He 
that is not with me is against me." 

We can hardly refrain from the question — Did Gamaliel have 
a faint suspicion and lingering hope that the Nazarene might prove 
to be the long-looked-for Messiah? We cannot but wonder! And 
we cannot but wish that a teacher so learned in the Divine law, at 
whose feet sat even Paul as a learner, — that Paul who came to 
see the law as a child-leader to bring him to the Christ, — might 
himself have seen in Jesus the gracious fulfillment of the law and 
promises of the God of his fathers ! 



5. The release, — vss. 40-42. 

This dismissal is attended by a flagrant act of tyranny and 
injustice on the part of the Council. They scourged the apostles; 
and then renewed their vain prohibition, and drove them from the 
Council Hall. 

On the part of the disciples their going forth was one of joy. 
It was to them a scource of gladness and cause of thanksgiving 
that they were counted worthy to suffer for the NAME ! 

Every day, therefore, in the temple and at home they continued 
their work with increasing diligence and power. Notwithstanding 
the interdict of the Sanhedrin, they ceased not from their Divine 
Commission to teach and preach Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, 
and His triumphant resurrection and enthronement at the right 
hand of God. 

Vs. 41. Primitive Heroism. 

I. The bitter antagonism of men to the truth, as seen in their desperate 
attempt to arrest its progress in the world. 
The disciples had 

1. The social status 

2. The legal might 

3. The mental power ^ all against them. 

4. The sympathy of numbers 

5. And antiquity 

78 ' 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM 



[VI: I 



II. The sublime heroism of holy men for the truth, as seen in their deter- 
mined labors to accelerate its progress in the world. 

1. The nature of their heroism. 

(1) They could endure pain. 

(2) They could endure shame. 

(3) They could brave dangers. 

2. The secret of their heroism. 

(1) Witnesses of facts. 

(2) Filled with the Holy Spirit. 

(3) Inspired by a mighty Name. — {The Homilist.) 

Section 5. — The Testimony of Stephen, — 6:1 7:60. 

Sub-section i. — The rise of the proto-martyr, and the institution of the 
diaconate, — 6 : 1-8. 

I Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, 
there arose a murmuring of the Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because 
their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 And the Twelve 
called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not fit that we 
should forsake the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Look ye out therefore, 
brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and 
of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will continue 
steadfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying 
pleased the whole multitude : and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and 
of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and 
Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch ; 6 whom they set before the 
apostles : and when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them. 

7 And the word of God increased ; and the number of the disciples mul- 
tiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly; and a great company of priests were obedi- 
ent to the faith. 8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great 
wonders and signs among the people. 



I. The occasion of the diaconate, — vs. i. 2. The object of it, — vss. 2-4. 3. 
The establishment of it, — vss. 5-^ 4. The effect of it, — vss. 7-8. 



I. The occasion of the diaconate, — vs. i. 

The narrative seems to bring us an echo of the difficulties at- 
tending the system of a community of goods. The breaking down 
of the communal system was sure to follow when self-interest 
usurped the place of love. 

79 



VI 12-4] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES ^. 



The members of the beheving community resident in Jerusalem, 
being more numerous, probably contributed the larger part of the 
common fund; and while they were in all probability less needy 
than the foreigners and sojourners, they may have felt themselves 
entitled to the larger share of that fund in the general distribution. 
Hence the murmuring of the foreigners, "because their widows 
were neglected in the daily ministration." 

The poor widow's lot, then as now, was a hard one. To such 
therefore the Lord has been pleased to give special promises of 
help and deliverance. 



Verse i. The Saviour's method was to "teach and feed" (Mark 6:34 and 
37) ; sometimes the Church must "feed and teach." — Vs. i. Unregulated 
benevolence often breeds trouble and dissension. 



2. The object of it, — vss. 2-4. 

God often fulfills His promises to His needy children through 
the instrumentality of others of His followers. Our duty is not 
less obligatory for His promises. So the apostles believed; and so 
at their suggestion the diaconate was instituted. They sought to 
accomplish two ends by this plan; — (i) The care of the Church's 
poor was attended to; and (2) The work of evangelization was 
carried forward without interruption. 

The ever-pertinent lesson is that the poor of Christ's flock must 
be faithfully cared for. They must never be allowed to suffer the 
shame and mortification of becoming a charge upon unbelievers. 
Charitable institutions, however well equipped and wisely con- 
ducted, can never take the place of the personal, loving, and 
sympathetic ministrations of believing men ordained and set apart 
to look after the interests of the believing poor. 

But, while this work, requiring the services of men of faith 
and full of the Spirit, is cared for, the great work of winning men 
to Christ, through the preaching of a crucified and risen Saviour, 
must be pushed forward with consecrated zeal and diligence. So 
the apostles believed and ordained. From this great work the 

80 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [VI: 5-6 



witnesses will not turn aside, — "We will continue steadfastly in 
prayer, and in the ministry of the word." 



Verses 2-4. Serving tables is a legitimate work, but it must not usurp 
the place of prayer and the ministry of the word. When the Church's ener- 
gies are absorbed in caring for the temporal comfort of the people, she is 
in danger of neglecting "the great commission." — ^Vs. 2. The minister cannot 
be expected to do everything: there is a place for the deacon and the sexton. 

Vs. 2. Distractions in a Busy Ministry. 

I. Their subtlety and power. They often seem so lawful and necessary. 
II. The only safeguard against them. Putting first things first. The single 
eye. 

III. The proper use of the help of others. This is better than to do without 
such help, even if at first sight it may seem more troublesome. 



3. The establishment of it, — vss. 5-6. 

The whole company of believers approved the plan suggested 
by their leaders, and participated in the election of the men, who 
from their office and duty came to be known as Deacons. They 
were, in a special sort of way and for a particular service, the 
representatives of the people. 

They were ordained and set apart by the apostles, with prayer 
and the laying on of hands. This is the first New Testament 
record of such setting apart to holy office and duty. 



Verse 5. The Church may trust her Divine Head for guidance in the 
choice of her officers. — Vs. 5. Fullness of the Spirit and fullness of faith 
must always go together. The Spirit will not come with filling power into a 
doubting heart. When we take Christ in faith with our whole heart, the 
gracious Spirit will take us with the infinite plenitude of His all-embracing 
mercy. — Vss. 5-6. The temporalities of the Church are best managed by the 
leading men. A deacon, no less than an elder, ought to be eminent for 
piety. — Ordination ought always to be more than a mere form. 

81 



VI 17-8] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



4. The effect of it, — vss. ^-8. 

The number of believers increased greatly. And, what was 
specially notable, a great number of the ^'priests became obedient 
to the faith." They were daily occupied in the services of the 
temple, and had such opportunities of hearing the testimony of the 
witnesses that, despite the opposition of the high priest and the 
Sanhedrin, they came to believe and accept Jesus of Nazareth as 
the Christ of God! 

Great miracles also were wrought before the people, especially 
by the hand of Stephen, chiefest, as would seem, of the board of 
deacons. These men were not precluded by the peculiar duties 
of their office from participating in the ministry of evangelization, 
if they were otherwise qualified for it. And Stephen was extraor- 
dinarily gifted, and spoke with great power. He was not, indeed, 
one of the original witnesses; but he proclaimed with irresistible 
cogency the resurrection of the Nazarene, and the mighty meaning 
of the new age! 

Verse 7. Organization may be so thorough and detailed as to endanger 
life and strangle spontaneity; but when it removes discontent and multiplies 
brotherly affection it is the sure precursor of enlarged prosperity. — Vs. 7. 
It is sometimes a duty to break away from appointed leadership. The priests 
in the temple were right in following the fisher-folk of Galilee rather than 
the high priest and the Great Council. — Vs. 8. He, who in 6:5 is spoken of 
as "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," is here described as "full of grace 
and power," and in 6:10 is so "full of wisdom and the Spirit" as to be irre- 
sistible to those who opposed him. Fullness of faith, grace, power, and wis- 
dom come from the infilling of the Holy Spirit. 

Vs. 7. Good Earnests of Great Success. 

I. The means by which spiritual prosperity may be procured. 
II. The results of such prosperity. 

III. The alternative which is before every Church, either to attain such 
prosperity, or else mourn over grievous evils. — (Spurgeon.) 

Sub-section 2. — Stephen's Controversy with the Foreign Jews, — 6:9-15. 

9 But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue of the Lib- 
ertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia 
and Asia, disputing with Stephen. 

ID And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by 

82 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM 



[VI: 9 



which he spake, ii Then they suborned men, who said, We have heard him 
speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 

12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and 
seized him, and brought him into the Council, 13 and set up false witnesses, 
who said. This man ceaseth not to speak words against this holy place, and 
the law: 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth shall 
destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered unto 
us. 15 And all that sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his 
face as it had been the face of an angel. 



I. Stephen's opponents, — vs. 9. 2. Their machinations, — vss. lo-ii. 3. His 
arraignment, — vss. 12-13. 



I. Stephen's opponents, — vs. p. 

Among the foreigners sojourning in Jerusalem were represen- 
tatives from divers places, notably Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and 
Asia. They were all Jews of the ''Dispersion." The fact that all 
of them were strangers in their national capital bound them 
together, though they had come from so many different places : and 
they constituted themselves into a synagogue, and called themselves 
— or were called by others — the synagogue of the Libertines, — 
probably because the larger number of them had been slaves in 
Rome, but freed and banished by command of Tiberius. It is 
thought by some that each of these nationalities had a synagogue, 
and by others that there were two, or at most three, mentioned by 
Luke: and both opinions are supposed to be countenanced by the 
rabbinical tradition that there were from four hundred and sixty 
to four hundred and eighty synagogues in the city. But when we 
remember that Jerusalem was a very compactly built city, in its 
widest area never exceeding one hundred and eighty acres, and in 
its most populous day having probably less than 75,000 people in 
its resident citizenship, it is safe to relegate the tradition to the 
region of the mythical, and to revert to the original idea, counte- 
nanced by the Revised Version, that there was one synagogue in 
which all the foreign Jews were gathered together. These were 
Stephen's opponents, and, as it proved, his deadly enemies. 

Why such opposition in such a quarter? It is not easy to say. 
Possibly they were first brought into antagonistic relations to him 

83 



VI:io-ii] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



in the daily ministrations of the communal funds. Or it may have 
been that they had come to entertain an extravagant and exagger- 
ated attachment to the Temple Services, just because, for the 
greater part of their lives, they had been deprived of them. It is 
easy to see, too, how they might be offended by the simplicity of 
the new Church's Services, in contrast with the more elaborate 
and imposing ceremonial of their Holy House. 



2. Their machinations, — vss. lo-ii. 

These enemies could not stand against the wisdom, and the 
Spirit, with which Stephen spake. Therefore they followed the 
example of their rulers, and determined to silence him with the 
strong arm of authority. 

Nor were they at all scrupulous as to the way in which they 
should accomplish the ruin of their adversary. They misrepre- 
sented and perverted his teaching. "They suborned men, who said, 
We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and 
against God." "And they stirred up the people, and the elders, 
and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought 
him into the Council." 

The frequent resort of conscious weakness and wrong in con- 
troversy is to misrepresentation and duplicity. The candid and 
open mind will accept even unpalatable truth by whomsoever 
spoken. 



3. His arraignment, — vss. 12-15. 

The charge made against Stephen in these words, and on which 
he was haled before the council, had a measure of truth in it. 
He had not, indeed, spoken blasphemously against God and Moses. 
But he had doubtless taught that a new order of things was com- 
ing in, and that with the development of a more spiritual religion 
the time would come, of which Jesus had spoken to the woman of 
Samaria, when "neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem will 
men worship the Father." The special sacredness of the Holy City 
would then disappear, the Temple would be no more a place of 

84 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [VII: 1-9 



holy worship, and the sacrifices of the altar, having lost their signifi- 
cance, would be abandoned. In this way ''the customs which Moses 
had delivered them" would be changed. 

Stephen had a wider vision of the new era on which they were 
entering, and of the inevitable consequences of the new teaching, 
than many even of the beheving brotherhood. And it is not 
difficult to see how his reasoning might be misunderstood even 
by his fellow-disciples, and could hardly fail to be misinterpreted 
by his enemies as foretelling dire calamity to Israel and their 
Holy City and Temple. 



Verse 14. Clinging to the form is not necessarily being imbued with the 
spirit. — Vs. 14. Change in the outward and non-essential is the evidence of 
life, — the condition of growth and progress. — Vs. 15. The transforming 
power of a lofty faith. It glorifies even the body, and puts a halo on the 
human countenance. — Vs. 15. There were three men in the Bible whose 
faces shone, — Moses, Jesus, and Stephen, — (Moody). — When the Jews ac- 
cused Stephen of blaspheming Moses, the Lord lit up his face with the same 
glory with which Moses' face shone. — (Moody, quoting Bonar.) 



Sub-section 3, — Stephen's defence before the Council, — 7:1-60. 

I And the high priest said, Are these things so? 2 And he said. Breth- 
ren and fathers, hearken : 

The Age of the Patriarchs. 

The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in 
Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, 3 and said unto him. Get thee out 
of thy land, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall 
show thee. 4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in 
the land of Haran; and from thence, when his father was dead God removed 
him into this land, wherein ye now dwell : 5 and he gave him none inheri- 
tance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on ; and He promised that He 
would give it to him in possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he 
had no child. 6 And God spake on this wise, that his seed should sojourn 
in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat 
them ill, four hundred years. 7 And the nation to which they shall be in 
bondage will I judge, said God: and after that they shall come forth, and 
serve me in this place. 8 And He gave him the covenant of circumcision: 
and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac 
begat Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs. 9 And the patriarchs, moved 
with jealousy against Joseph, sold him into Egypt: and God was with him, 
10 and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wis- 

85 



VII: 10-35] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



dom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt 
and all his house, ii Now there came a famine over all Egypt and Canaan, 
and great affliction; and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But, when 
Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent forth our fathers the first 
time. 13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; 
and Joseph's kindred became manifest unto Pharaoh. 14 And Joseph sent, 
and called to him Jacob his father, and all his kindred, three-score and fifteen 
souls. 15 And Jacob went down into Egypt: and he died, himself, and our 
fathers ; 16 and they were carried over unto Shechem, and laid in the tomb 
that Abraham bought for a price in silver of the sons of Hamor in Shechem. 

The Age of Moses. 

17 But, as the time of the promise drew nigh which God vouchsafed 
unto Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, 18 till there arose 
another king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 19 The same dealt craftily 
with our race, and ill-treated our fathers, that they should cast out their 
babes to the end they might not live. 20 At which season Moses was born, 
and was exceeding fair; and he was nourished three months in his father's 
house, 21 and when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and 
nourished him for her own son. 22 And Moses was instructed in all the 
wisdom of the Egyptians ; and he was mighty in his words and works. 23 
But when he was well-nigh forty years old, it came into his heart to visit 
his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And, seeing one of them suffer 
wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the 
Egyptian : 25 and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by His 
hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not. 26 And the 
day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set 
them at one again, saying. Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to 
another? 27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, 
Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wouldst thou kill me as 
thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday? 29 And Moses fled at this saying, and 
became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons. 

The Calling of Moses. 

30 And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the 
wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 And when Moses 
saw it, he wondered at the sight : and as he drew near to behold, there came 
the voice of the Lord, 32 I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, 
and of Isaac, and of Jacob. And Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 
And the Lord said unto him, Loose the shoes from thy feet: for the place 
whereon thou standest is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the affliction of 
my people that is in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I am come 
down to deliver them : and now come, I will send thee into Egypt. 

Israel's Dealings with Moses and with God. 

35 This Moses whom they refused, saying. Who made thee a ruler and 
a judge, him hath God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the hand 

86 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [¥11:36-58 



of the angel that appeared to him in the bush. 36 This man led them forth, 
having wrought wonders and signs in Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the 
wilderness forty years. 37 This is that Moses, who said unto the children of 
Israel, A prophet shall God raise up unto you from among your brethren, 
like unto me. 38 This is he that was in the Church in the wilderness with the 
angel that spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers : who re- 
ceived living oracles to give unto us : 39 to whom our fathers would not be 
obedient, but thrust him from them, and turned back in their hearts unto 
Egypt, 40 saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us : for, 
as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not 
what is become of him, 41 and they made a calf in those days, and brought 
a sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their hands. 42 But 
God turned and gave them up to serve the host of heaven ; as it is written in 
the book of the prophets. 

Did ye offer me slain beasts and sacrifices 

Forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 

43 And ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, 
And the star of the god Rephan, 

The figures which ye made to worship them : 
And I will carry you away beyond Babylon. 

From the Post-Mosaic Age to That of Stephen. 

44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, even 
as He appointed who spake unto Moses, that he should make it according 
to the figure that he had seen. 45 ¥/hich also our fathers, in their turn, 
brought in with Joshua when they entered on the possession of the nations, 
that God thrust out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David, 
46 who found favor in the sight of God, and asked to find a habitation 
for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him a house. 48 Howbeit the 
Most High dwelleth not in Houses made with hands ; as saith the prophet, 

49 The heaven is my throne^ 

And the earth the footstool of my feet: 

What manner of house will ye build me? saith the Lord. 

Or what is the place of my rest? 

50 Did not My hand make all these things? 

51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always 
resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the 
prophets did not your fathers persecute? and they killed them that showed 
before of the coming of the Righteous One; of whom ye have now become 
betrayers and murderers; 53 ye who received the law as it was ordained by- 
angels, and kept it not. 

54 Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and 
they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy 
Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and 
Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 and said. Behold, I see the 
heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. 
57 But they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and rushed 

87 



VII:i-i5] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



upon him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city, and stoned 
him: and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man 
named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, 
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a 
loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said 
this, he fell asleep. 



I. The supernatural history. 2. The permanent in the perishable. 3. The 
Divine mercy set over against Israel's sins. 4. The martyrdom of the 
faithful witness. 



I. The supernatural history. 

A careful study of Stephen's defence will reveal the three lines 
of thought above indicated, not indeed set forth in distinct and 
separate heads, and none of the three elaborated in detail, yet 
all combining together to make a profound impression, and well- 
nigh irresistible. 

At first sight the great apology seems to be an irrelevant and 
needlessly prolix rehearsal of Israel's history. Stephen was guided 
in his defence, we cannot doubt, by the Holy Spirit; and he con- 
ducted it in this way, partly perhaps to conciUate his judges. To 
some of them it was a wonderful story; and they would listen to 
it with great delight. And even the Sadducean portion of the 
Council, though they might discount the supernatural features of 
the story, would yet hear the eloquent rehearsal with tolerance 
and attention. 

Stephen therefore gained his audience. But he aimed to accom- 
plish more than simply to minister to the patriotic pride of the 
Council. Speaking to a court, the majority, of which probably did 
not believe in the resurrection, ''neither angel nor spirit," and who 
probably had no use for anything superhuman, he began with 
laying a broad foundation for the supernatural occurrences which 
had offended his judges, by bringing out the undeniable fact that 
the entire history of Israel had been a supernatural history. His 
opening sentence strikes the keynote of his theme. It was the 
"God of glory" who originated the nation of Israel. He traces this 
thought through four great epochs of their national career; — 

(i) In patriarchal times, in his dealings with Abraham. The 
migrations of the patriarch were not the aimless wanderings of a 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [VII : 16-47 



nomadic chief, but the movements of a man of God under Divine 
direction ; — 

(2) In the period of transition from the family to the nation, 
v^ith Joseph as the central figure and leader in the earlier and deter- 
minative period of that transition. It was Jehovah who used the 
schemes of wicked men to bring Joseph, through the gateway of 
trial, to the place of supreme power in Egypt, and through Joseph 
to transfer Israel from Canaan to Goshen, that they might have 
opportunity to grow from the family to the tribe, and from the 
tribe to the nation; — 

(3) In the period of the bondage and deHverance by the hand 
of Moses. It was Divine Providence that led to the rearing of 
Moses in the Court of Pharaoh. It was the God of their 'fathers 
who appeared to Moses in the flaming bush. It was God, who from 
cloud-capped and burning Sinai gave to Moses the Hving oracles, 
and the pattern of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and revealed 
to him the coming and personality of the Messiah, — the prophet 
like unto himself; — 

(4) In the more perfect establishment of the ancient worship 
under David and Solomon. It was a Divine provision that the 
Tabernacle should give way to the Temple. And God, "who 
dwelleth not in houses made with hands," condescended to fill with 
His glory the Temple of Solomon, — the Prince of Peace! 



2. The permanent in the perishable. 

Thus may we express another line of thought covertly running 
through all this masterly apology. The charge made against 
Stephen, it must be remembered, was the preaching of a change in 
**the customs which Moses had delivered to them." His answer 
is practically a confession of judgment, and a plea in extenuation 
and justification. 

True religion, he would tell his judges, had flourished more or 
less through all their history independent of its outward form, 
and had survived all the changes in the external habiliments in 
which it had been clothed. Upon this view of the truth Stephen is 
not outspoken ; but his line of thought though apparently veiled is 
nevertheless quite plain. In the theophanies of the fathers, — and 
in the dreams of the coming Viceroy of Egypt, — and in the burning 

89 



VII: 48-54] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



bush and flaming mount, — and in the Tabernacle and Temple, the 
outer form and shell of religion had been changed again and again ; 
but the inner life and spirit of it had survived all external vicissi- 
tudes, and had continued to flourish among the true Israel, even 
down to their own day. And so it would ever be. Stephen claimed 
only to have preached the ongoing of a development that had 
proceeded through all the ages. Vital religion would live and 
flourish even though the City and Temple of their ancient faith 
should pass away forever. 



3. The Divine Mercy set over against Israel's Sins. 

This is another line of thought in Stephen's defence, inter- 
woven with the other two, — a three-fold cord of solemn testimony 
that could not be broken. It was so in the patriarchal story, which, 
with unsparing faithfulness, sets out the transgressions of their 
fathers alongside of Jehovah's infinite compassions. It was mani- 
fest in the years of the bondage, when the knowledge of the true 
God had well-nigh perished from among men, though God con- 
tinued to watch over them, was mindful of their sorrows, and in 
the extremity of their affliction was even then raising up a deliverer 
for them. And, more than all, under that deliverer, and even 
beneath the flaming mount, as well as on the desert road, their 
murmurings and rebellions had well-nigh surpassed the story of 
Divine forbearance, and Jehovah's unfailing care and constant 
loving kindness. 

And this, which had characterized all their history, was being 
repeated, with intensified aggravations, by the generation whose 
leaders Stephen was now addressing. And thes€ leaders had led 
the people in unbelief and disobedience, and had stimulated them 
to a crowning act of impiety in betraying and murdering the 
Righteous One, whom the persecuted prophets, — persecuted by 
their fathers, — had so plainly foretold! 



4. The martyrdom of the faithful witness. 

As Stephen traces this damning record, and marks the in- 
creasing hostility of his unwilling auditors, his holy zeal blazes 
into a withering indignation, — a terrifying and awful invective, — 

90 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [VII : 55-60 



that cuts his enemies to the heart; and "they gnashed on him with 
their teeth." They could not endure the true but scathing indict- 
ment: they stopped their ears to his closing and ecstatic testimony 
to his vision of the Nazarene standing at the right hand of God, 
and with loud cries of rage they rushed upon him with one accord 
and hurried him to execution. "And they stoned Stephen, calling 
upon the Lord, and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' — 'Lord, 
lay not this sin to their charge.' " 



Verses 3 and 15. Contrast Abraham being sent out of Chaldea with 
Jacob being sent out of Canaan. God only seems to reverse Himself. The 
quiet, personal character of the earlier movement : the mighty forces of na- 
ture used to forward the later movement. The snows and rains on Africa's 
central mountains shed abundantly for j^ears, and then for years withheld, 
are used to produce conditions in Egypt that will exalt Joseph, and bring 
Jacob down into Goshen. — Vs. 17. Mark Israel in Egypt, and Egypt's chang- 
ing dynasties. — Vss. 20-21. Providence in the early years of Moses. Reared 
by Thermuthis, but nursed by Jochebed. God usually gives great mothers to 
great men. Juliana of Stolberg and Martha Washington were not accidents. 
— ^Vss. 23-29. Going before Providence necessitates waiting for Providence. 
Moses was forty years ahead of time, and had to wait in the desert for forty 
years. — Vs. 32. What is God to me through what He was to my fathers? — 
a question we all need to ask ourselves. — Vs. 32. Our believing dead are 
alive. God is the God, not of the dead, but of the living. — Vs. 34. It was 
Moses' own doing that drove him out of Eg}^pt; it is God's plan that carries 
him back. — Vs. 35. The rejected of men is often the chosen of God. — Vss. 
36^37. Moses was deliverer, leader, law-giver, and prophet. — Vs. 37. Moses 
and Messiah; — see page 50 — Vs. 42. God's turning and man's refusal to 
turn. — ^Vs. 42. God made their sin their punishment. They would serve the 
host of heaven, and He gave them up to that service. So God often does to 
men; — *Tf any man defileth the temple of God, him will God defile." — Vss. 
44-53. A long course of persistent sin, in the face of superabounding mercies 
and privileges, must end in remediless ruin. — Vs. 54. Searing the conscience 
and hardening the heart open the way to the most terrible crimes. 

Vss. 6:8-15 AND 7:1-60. Stephen. 
I. The Accusation. 

1. The authors. 

2. The subject. 

3. The weakness. 
II. The Defence. 

1. Source. 

2. The point of his argument. 

3. The application. 

III. The Martyrdom. — {The Homilist.) 

91 



VII: 2-51] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss. 2-5. Conversion. 

1. The Divine Part. II. The Human Part. 

1. The vision. i. The obedience. 

2. The command. 2. The pilgrimage. 

3. The tribulation. 

4. The inheritance. 
{Bonar, Rev. Dr. Horatius.) 

Vs. 5. God's Stil\nge Way with Abraham. 

I, The contradiction in the letter of the text. 

II. The non-disappointment of the patriarch. 

III. The solidarity of the believer v^^ith his child. 

IV. The alluring illusiveness of the believing life, — The fulfillment of the 

promise seems to escape us, only to bring us to better things further 
on, — Heb. 11:8 and 10. 

Vs. 30. The Burning Bush. 

1. A type of Israel in bondage. 
II. A type of Christ in His Church: — 

I. Preserving, — 2. Purifying, — 3. Glorifying. 

Vs. 33. Re\^rence for a Holy Place. 

I. What constitutes a "holy place" ? 
II. What is true reverence for such places? 

Vs. 34. God and His People's Sorrows. 
I. He knows all about them. 

11. He determines their nature, and sets the bounds of their power. 

III. He truly sympathizes with those who suffer, and does not afflict will- 

ingly. 

IV. In due time He brings deliverance. 

Vs. 51. Resisting the Spirit. 

I. By denying His influence on the heart. 
II. In mistaking the times when He operates. 

III, Through ignorance of the nature of His strivings. 

IV. In claiming we cannot repent. 
V. In waiting for conviction. 

92 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [VII: 55-59 



Vss. 55-56. Stephen's Martyrdom. 

Consider 

I. The power of the Holy Spirit in him, that you may learn to rely upon 
that power. 

II. The source of his dying comfort, that you may learn to gaze upon the 

same ravishing vision. 
III. The effect of this heavenly comfort upon him^ in the hope that we 
may live in peace, and fall asleep in ease, by faith in the same great 
sight which cheered his dying eyes. — {^purgeon,) 

Vs. 55. Stephen's Vision. 

I. A reality. 

II. Under terrible circumstances. 

III. Meaning assurance of help from Jesus. 

IV. Insuring his triumph over death. 

Vss. 54-59. The Death of Stephen. 

I. The victim conquering. 
II. The witness testifying. 
III. The hero crowned. — {The Homilist.) 

Vs. 59. The Soul. 

I. Man's soul survives corporal death. 

II. In death the importance of man's soul is specially felt. 

III. The well-being of the soul consists in its dedication to Jesus. 

IV. This dedication is the one great thought of the earnest saint. 

(The Homilist.) 

Vs. 59. The Soul. 

I. The body is the house where the soul dwells. 

II. The soul is a spirit. 

III. The soul is the offspring of God. 

IV. The soul shall never die. — {Fletcher's Lectures.) 

Vs. 59. Calling on the Name of Jesus. 

I. How Christ and the Father can both bestow, and are both the proper 
objects of prayer. 

93 



VII:59-6o] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



11. Some of the peculiar advantages of praying to Christ. 

1. He may be approached with less dread. 

2. He may be more easily apprehended. 

3. This tends to impress us with the importance of the place He 

holds in Zion. — {GrifHn, Rev. Dr. E. D.) 

Vs. 60. The Prayer of Stephen. 

I. The prayer of a dying man. 
XL The prayer of one who entirely loses sight of himself. 
HI. The thoughts and feelings of a man who seeks after nothing but the 
kingdom of God and His righteousness. 

{Schleiermacher, Rev. F. E. D.) 

Vss. 59-60. Faithful Unto Death. 

I. Stephen's life. 
II. Stephen's prayer. 

III. Stephen's death. — (Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 



Vs. 59. Stephen, the First Christian Martyr. 

1. The man. 

1. Full of faith. 

2. Full of the Holy Spirit. 
II. His work. 

HI. His death. 

I. Violent, — 2. Triumphant, — 3. Potent in influence. 

(Drew Sermons on Golden Texts, 1909.) 

Vs. 56. The Heavens Opened. 

I. Stephen gazing into heaven. 

11. Stephen looking at Christ, 

in. Stephen stoned. 

IV. Stephen in his dying prayer. 

V. Stephen asleep. — {Talmage, Rev. Dr. T. De Witt.) 

Vs. 59. The Believer's Dying Prayer. 
I. There is a living Lord above. 

11, There is a spiritual existence apart from the body. 
III. We may confidently commit our souls to the Divine keeping. 

94 



WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM [VII: 60 



Vs. 60. The Crowning of Love. 

1. The Christ-like prayer. 
11. The prayer of the perfected saint. 

Note: — The author has not thought it needful or wise, in a non-critical 
Exposition, to discuss the so-called "mistakes of Stephen," i. e., the differ- 
ences between his statements of history in verses 14 and 16, and the Old 
Testament record, as we have it in Genesis 46:27, 33:19, and 49:30. That 
there are real discrepancies here must be admitted. Many explanations of 
them have been offered, more or less satisfactory, — chiefly less ; but the 
differences still remain. And the devout reader will recognize that fact, 
while he still rests in the assurance that there is nothing in them either to 
impair a sane view of inspiration, or discredit the Divine guidance of the 
protomartyr's speech. And we may dismiss the matter with the wise words 
of one of our ablest and sanest Commentators, viz. — "It is easy to cut the 
knot by assuming a mistake on Stephen's part, but not so easy to account 
for its being made by such a man, addressing such an audience, and then per- 
petuated in such a history, without correction or exposure, for a course of 
ages." — (/. A. Alexander.) 

95 



DIVISION 11. 
WITNESSES "m ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA.' 
VIII :i— XII 125. 



DIVISION 11. 

WITNESSES "IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA" ;— VIII :i— 

XII :25 

Section i. — The Testimony of the Persecuted —8 : 1-4. 

I And Saul was consenting unto his death. And there arose on that day 
a great persecution against the Church which was in Jerusalem; and they 
were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, ex- 
cept the apostles. 2 And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamen- 
tation over him. 3 But Saul laid waste the Church, entering into every 
house, and, dragging men and women, committed them to prison. 4 They 
therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word. 



I. The burial of Stephen, — vs. 2. 2. The rigorous persecution, — vss. 1-3. 3. 
The spread of the glad tidings, — vs. 4. 



I. The burial of Stephen, — vs. 2. 

This care of the bruised and lacerated body of the protomartyr 
was taken by "devout men." It is thought by some that this term 
"devout" is used by Luke in ahnost a technical sense, as descriptive 
of those whose faces were turned toward the light, but who were 
not yet fully instructed in the doctrine and fellowship of Christ, 
so that they could be properly called believers or disciples. Corne- 
lius was a "devout man," and had under him a "devout soldier," 
whom he made his messenger, with two of his households servants, 
to Peter in Joppa. There were also dwelling in Jerusalem at 
Pentecost "devout men out of every nation under heaven." And 
while the original word in chapters two and ten is not the same, 
the two words have substantially the same meaning, as descriptive 
of character (see the exposition of Section 6, page 149) ; and 
whether we use the one or the other it cannot be said that, in these 
instances, the "devout" were already actually believers in Jesus. 
And, if this distinction in Luke's use of the term holds good 
throughout his narrative, it would seem as if these men who buried 

99 



VIII: 2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



the martyr were not the open and known disciples of the Nazarene, 
but strangers in whom the nascent faith was here coming to its 
first public manifestation. This seems probable, even if the words 
of the annalist will not invariably bear this interpretation. So 
bitter was the rage of the persecuting powers, it would have been 
fatal to any known followers of Jesus for them to have had a hand 
in the sepulture of the faithful witness. And, if it seems distress- 
ing to learn that the interment of the martyr should have fallen 
into the hands of comparative strangers, it is fitting we should 
remember that the Divine Martyr Himself was entombed, not by 
the devoted Twelve, but by two hitherto unknown and unrecognized 
followers. 

The great lamentation over the death of Stephen was to be 
expected; and in this the known and unknown disciples doubtless 
had a share. The violent removal of such a ''burning and shining 
light" could not but leave a great horror of darkness. The mourn- 
ing must have been widespread and deep ; and this m.ust have been 
intensified, too, by the mourning customs prevalent among Oriental 
people in primitive times. These mourning customs, so common 
in Stephen's day, and which seem so extravagant to us, and unbe- 
coming to believers, were slowly though surely modified and m^od- 
erated, as men came to realize the blessed state of their believing 
dead, and the certainty that even the mortal remains of all such 
were still in the keeping of their ever-living Redeemer. 

The mourning of believers over their believing dead has in it 
elements of sweetness, mingled with bitterness, that are indescrib- 
able. Our tears are not forbidden. But we "sorrow not as those 
who have no hope." The days of separation from our beloved, 
and bereavement of their fellowship, are sure to come; but the 
"time is short," and our chief concern should be that, whether they 
or we belong to the departing host, the survivors may have good 
hope that it is well with the souls of those who have "crossed the 
bourne whence no traveler returns." 



Verse 2. Christianity moderates, but does not forbid, the grief of those 
who have been bereaved. — Vs. 2. The right of sepulture is inalienable. The 
safety of the living and respect for the dead alike demand the prompt con- 
cession of this right. 

100 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII: 1-3 



2. The rigorous persecution, — vss. 1-3. 

This persecution was under the leadership of Saul of Tarsus, if, 
indeed, it was not instigated chiefly by his terrible animosity. As 
this is the first reference in the Scriptures to a man whose person- 
ality and influence soon became such dominating forces in the 
development of Christianity, it is well for us to take a look at him. 

He had the birthright of Roman citizenship, but he was a 
Pharisee of the Pharisees. He was devoted to Judaism with a zeal 
and ardor that were fanatical. His hatred of the Nazarenes was 
malignant and unrelenting, — none the less fierce that it grew out 
of an ignorance that was not less colossal than inexcusable. His 
every breath was full of "threatenings and slaughter against the 
disciples of the Lord." He was "exceedingly mad against them," 
and ''when they were put to death he gave his vote against them." 

This was the leader in this first organized persecution of the 
infant Church. The growth of his persecuting spirit is indicated 
in the narrative; — (i) He was present to care for the outer gar- 
ments of the infuriated men who stoned Stephen; — (2) With the 
insensate rage and violence of that bloody execution he was in 
thorough sympathy. Though doubtless impressed by the dying 
martyr's testimony and beatific vision, he yet stood among his 
murderers ''consenting unto his death"; — (3) He zealously led in 
a house-to-house visitation, in searching for adherents of "The 
Way," and, "laying waste the Church," and "dragging men and 
women" from their homes, "committed them to prison" ; (4) Nor 
did this activity in Jerusalem satisfy the raging of his malice. 
"He persecuted them even unto foreign cities," and believers in 
far-off Damascus were not beyond the grasp of his unrelenting 
malevolence. 

The effect of this fiery persecution was inevitable. The brother- 
hood of believers was broken up. No more public assemblies were 
permitted or possible. Solomon's Porch was doubtless barred to 
those whose preaching in the judgment of their enemies was a 
profanation of the sacred precincts of the Temple. And, even in 
private houses, the informal meetings of the disciples were held 
in secret, while some of their number were detailed to watch beside 
barred gates against surprise and arrest, as Rhoda seems to have 
been thus stationed for such a purpose. 

lOI 



VIII: 3-4] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



The great body of the private membership of the Church was 
scattered near and far through the cities and villages of the land. 
The twelve apostles alone remained in Jerusalem. How they 
escaped this outburst of malignant zeal does not clearly appear. 
That it was important for the Church itself that its leaders should 
for the present remain together for mutual counsel and encourage- 
ment it is not difficult to understand. All the more important, we 
should say, was it for their enemies to get hold of them and 
destroy them. But they were kept in safety even in the stronghold 
of their foes. That Divine Power which protected Joash in the 
very precincts of the Temple for six years, while the infamous 
Athaliah ruled and raged in defiance of God and man in the little 
capital, preserved the apostles also even in the narrow boundaries 
of the walls of old Jerusalem. The fear of them may have fallen 
on their enemies. Men so manifestly endowed with supernatural 
powers were not to be trifled with. And so the rulers let them 
alone; while no doubt the apostles themselves did all they could 
in reason do to avoid an open breach. 



Verse i. Free consent to an evil deed is not less guilty than full par- 
ticipation in its accomplishment. Saul onl}^ held the garments of those who 
threw the stones, but he was as much a murderer as any of them. — Vs. i. 
God will always keep His own. He may do so by sending them away from 
danger, or by guarding them in the immediate presence of danger. — Vs. 3. 
Great malice, combined with great ignorance, may lead to great sin, and yet 
eventually meet with a greater forgiveness. But great malice and great 
knowledge are important and needful elements of that "sin which is unto 
death," and hath never forgiveness, "neither in this world, nor in that which 
is to come." 



3. The Spread of the glad tidings, — vs. 4. 

"They therefore that were scattered abroad went about preach- 
ing the word." The disciples were scattered, not silenced. Several 
things connected with this scattering are worthy of special note, 
viz : — 

(i) It was ordered of the Lord. The devil here, as often, was 
working to the furtherance of God's purposes. He was minded to 

102 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII: 4 



destroy the infant Church by scattering its membership. His 
scheme really greatly multiplied its numbers and power. You can 
extinguish a fire by scattering the brands here and there; but, if 
those brands fall in the right place, the light and heat of the con- 
flagration will be vastly extended. It was so here. Satan broke 
up the central fire; but God took care of the brands. He guided 
their fall, and made them centers of other holy fires throughout 
Judea and Samaria. 

(2) This spread of the glad tidings was accomplished through 
the private membership of the Church. It is not enough for a 
Church that it have evangelistic pastors. Every individual member 
must be a messenger of good tidings. There was room in Jeru- 
salem before the storm of persecution broke for many to say, 
"There is much work to be done here ; unbelievers are just at hand : 
with so much 'land to be possessed,' why look further, why go 
abroad?" But God routed them out, and sent them forth. He 
barred the nearer doors, and swung wide the further gates, that so 
the Gospel might more widely prevail. 

(3) "The word" they preached carried the "tidings of great 
joy, which were to be to all people." These private members were 
true to the single message of their leaders. They spoke the same 
"one word." They proclaimed Jesus the Nazarene as the risen 
and exalted Son of God. Their message was one of joy. Luke's 
expression is singularly full and expressive, — "They went about 
preaching the glad tidings of the word," literally "evangelizing the 
word." They had heard the message of the prophet, and sought 
to fulfill it, — "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up 
on a high mountain ; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, 
lift up thy voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say unto 
the cities of Judah, Behold your God." They were banished from 
the capital, but they v/ent forth, not seeking hiding-places from 
their persecutors, but to find new and responsive audiences for the 
words of grace and life, which they were commissioned to pro- 
claim. "Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed," 
they went everywhere full of joy to "tell the wondrous story." 



Verse 4. How blessed are they who have a message of salvation for 
lost men. 

103 



VIII: 4-13] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss. 8:4-5 AND 35. All at It. 

1. The universality of the work of evangelism. 

II. The naturalness of it. 

III. The joyfulness of the work. 

IV. The supremacy of the work. 

V. The speciality of the work. — {Spurge on.) 

Vss. I AND 3, 9:5 AND II. The StRONG CONTRASTS OF MORAL CHARACTER. 

I. Moral character quiescently consenting to the wrong. 
II. Also in determined hostility to the right. 

III. Also aroused and inquiring. 

IV. Also in communion with God. — {The Homilist.) 

Vs. 4. Vacation. 

I. Its benefits. 
II. Its dangers. 

1. Inattention to secret duties. 

2. Caught in the undertow of wordliness. 

3. Yielding to selfishness. 

4. Neglect of Church and public Christian duties. 

{The Treasury.) 



Section 2. — The Testimony of the Evangelists in Samaria, — 8:5-25. 

Sub-section i. — The UnoMcial Visit of Philip, — 8:5-13. 

5 And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto 
them the Christ. 6 And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the 
things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signs 
which he did. 7. For from many of those that had unclean spirits, they came 
out, crying with a loud voice : and many that were palsied, and that were 
lame, were healed. 8 And there was much joy in that city. 

9 But there was a certain man, Simon, by name, who before-time in the 
city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that himself 
was some great one. 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the 
greatest, saying, This man is that power of God which is called Great. 11 
And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them 
with his sorceries. 12 But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings 
concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were 
baptized, both men and women. 13 And Simon also himself believed : and, 
being baptized, he continued with Philip; and, beholding signs and great 
miracles wrought, he was amazed. 

104 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII -.5-8 



I. The success of Philip's mission, — vss. 5-8. 2. The spurious conversion of 
Simon, — vss. 9-13. 



I. The success of Philip's mission, — vss. 5-8. 

This Philip is the Deacon, elsewhere mentioned only in chapters 
6:5 and 21:8. He is often confounded with Philip the Apostle. 
His work of ministering, with his fellow-deacons, to the needs 
of the Hellenistic widows was broken up by the scattering of the 
persecution. But, like Stephen, Philip was gifted as a preacher of 
the glad tidings. He was an evangelist as well as deacon. In the 
only other subsequent reference to him in this history he is called 
"Philip the evangelist," and is mentioned as living in Cassarea with 
four daughters, who also were heralds of the ''good news." 

Philip seems to have shared the wider vision and far outlook of 
Stephen. And so, when compelled to fly from Jerusalem, he goes 
down to Samaria. Grace enabled him to overcome the racial ani- 
mosity of the Jews toward the Samaritans; and first of all the 
brotherhood of believers, he hastened to carry the Gospel to the 
traditional enemies of his people. 

The message of the evangelist is briefly but suggestively set 
forth by the historian, — "He proclaimed unto them the Christ," — 
literally, "He heralded to them Messiah." The proclamation of 
Jesus of Nazareth as the Lord's Anointed, — their promised Mes- 
siah-Saviour, — this was Philip's message. A fuller statement of 
that message is given in the 12th verse. Philip came to Samaria 
"preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the 
name of Jesus Christ." As Paul, afterwards in Rome for two 
years, continued "preaching the kingdom of God and teaching 
the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ," so here Philip delivers 
the same message. He has learned, and now explains, the true 
nature of the Messianic kingdom, and dwells with persuasive power 
upon the name "that is above every name," the name of Jesus 
Christ, the Anointed Saviour. 

The neighboring city, only a few years before, had received 
the Nazarene for a blessed sojourn of two days, and had come 
to recognize in Him the "Saviour of the world." Little wonder 
then that the people of Samaria "gave heed with one accord unto 
the things that were spoken by Philip." Is the suggestion far- 

105 



VIII: 5-8] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



fetched that the cry of the woman of the nearby Sychar, — awak- 
ened to attention, thoughtfulness, the voice of conscience, and the 
pleadings of faith, — ''Come, see a man who told me all things that 
ever I did ! Is not this the Christ ?" — should have sounded through 
the beautiful vale of Shechem till it came even to the capital, the 
white crown sitting on her emerald hill, and so prepared many of 
the Samaritans for the glad tidings which the evangelist was com- 
missioned to proclaim? 

The Samaritans heard the word which Philip spoke, and saw 
the signs which he wrought. The publicans and sinners, we are 
told, drew near to the Lord, in the days of his earthly ministry, 
"to hear Him" (Luke 15:1); the cavillers of Capernaum condi- 
tioned their faith on their witnessing the signs (John 6:30); the 
people of Samaria both heard the word and saw the signs ; and 
so they came to believe. 

Were not the signs which they witnessed well fitted to awaken 
their sympathetic interest and lead them to faith in the great 
Physician? Here was healing for the souls of men, — deliverance 
from the possession and power of evil spirits. Here also was a 
sovereign cure for all physical maladies, for "many that were pal- 
sied, and were lame, were healed." The result of Philip's mission 
was, as is always the case with the faithful preaching, and hearty 
and sincere acceptance, of the Gospel; — the city was full of joy. 
As at Pentecost, "gladness and singleness of heart" ruled the great 
company of believers, so here the multitudes of a city were filled 
with gladness. 



Verse 5. The Gospel of Christ is the only efficient remedy for family 
feuds and racial animosities. — Vs. 6. The "word" and the "sign" were the 
victorious weapons of the evangelist's warfare. — Vs. 7. The devil is a great 
blusterer ; he makes the most noise when he is nearest defeat. — Vs. 7. The 
authenticating signs which Jesus enabled his disciples to exhibit were like 
His own wonder-works, i. e., works of mercy and healing. — Vs. 8. The 
triumph of the Gospel in any city will fill that city with great joy and 
gladness. 

Vss. 5-8. Philip Preaches Christ in Samaria. 

I. The subject of his discourses. 
11. The effect of his ministrations. 

Simeon {Horcs Homiletic<r) . 

106 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII : 9-13 



2. The spurious conversion of Simon, — vss. 9-13. 

This deceiver is known in Church History as Simon Magus, 
i. e., Simon the Magian. There seems to be no doubt that he was 
one of the greatest of all sorcerers named in the annals of men. 
The early Christians have many accounts, apparently of the highest 
authenticity, of his remarkable career. It is enough for us to attend 
here to what is said of him in the inspired narrative. 

His estimate of himself is suggestive, and throws a flood of light 
upon his character. He gave out that ''himself was some great 
one." Amazing men with his magical arts, with monumental assur- 
ance he set himself up for some extraordinary being, — yet robing 
himself in mystery, that men might wonder and conjecture who he 
could be. And the people, from the least to the greatest, as not 
infrequently the unthinking populace will do, took him at his own 
estimate, and even enlarged upon it, as they cried, "This man is that 
power of God which is called Great." 

The historian tells us how he came to be so influential in 
Samaria. He amazed them with his sorceries, — bewitching them 
with his magical arts, and mystifying them with the exhibition 
of occult powers. The age was one greatly given to the so-called 
"Black Arts." Simon Magus in Samaria, and Bar-Jesus of Paphos 
in Cyprus, and the unnamed magicians of Ephesus, whose books 
were burnt, to the value of fifty thousand pieces of silver, all evi- 
dence the wide prevalence of this diabolical practice, and the 
certainty that men, who reject a divine revelation, yet so crave the 
knowledge of the unseen world as to resort to even divination and 
witchcraft to satisfy their longings. 

Simon professed conversion and received baptism. Going with 
the crowd, and astonished by Philip's miracles, he ^'also himself 
believed ; and being baptized he continued with Philip ; and, behold- 
ing signs and great miracles wrought, he was amazed." He ceased 
his wicked sorceries, and kept the company of the evangelist. That 
he was not truly converted from the error of his ways will soon 
appear; but for the time being he seems to be himself a miracle 
of grace. Yet all the time his attention is evidently concentrated 
on the wonder-works wrought by Philip. In the realm of wonder 
he had hitherto stood alone, a marvel to the multitude. Now he 

107 



VIII: 14-25] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



beholds another entering the realm gifted with powers which he 
knew he had never possessed. And he narrowly observes the 
stranger, and is confounded by what he sees. 



Verse 9. Here is a contest between the true and the false in the realm 
of the supernatural. It would seem as if Philip was enabled to work an un- 
usual number of signs and wonders. The Gospel was entering the lists with 
a pretended supernaturalism, and therefore was specially armed and endowed 
for the contest. — Vs. 10. Simon's wonders and witcheries were more than 
mere sleights of hand and feats of jugglery. He seemed to be in reality in 
league with the Prince of Darkness. He was "the power of God," so the 
people said, "which is called Great." — Vss. 11-12. The region of the occult, 
the unseen world, foretelling the future, divination, magic arts, and kindred 
subjects, have a strange, weird fascination for multitudes of people. To the 
Christian believer it is both a useless and forbidden realm. The Gospel of 
Christ tells us all we need to know of the unseen world. Jesus alone has 
visited that world, and come back to us with authentic tidings. He has 
given us all the information that is good for us to have, till we go in to look 
upon His face. 

Sub-section 2. — The official visit of Peter and John, — 8:14-25. 

14 Now when the apostles that were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria 
had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: 15 who 
when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the 
Holy Spirit : 16 for as yet He was fallen upon none of them : only they had 
been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then laid they their 
hands upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon 
saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was 
given, he offered them monej^ 19 saying, Give me also this power, that on 
whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. 20 But Peter 
said unto him. Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to 
obtain the gift of God with money. 21 Thou hast neither part nor lot in this 
matter : for thy heart is not right before God. 22 Repent therefore of this thy 
wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be 
forgiven thee. 23 For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the 
bond of iniquity. 24 And Simon answered and said. Pray ye for me to the 
Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me. 25 They 
therefore, when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, returned 
to Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. 



I. This visit was by direction of the Church's leaders, — vs. 14. 2. The ob- 
ject of the apostles' coming down to Samaria, — vss. 15-17. 3. Their deal- 
ings with Simon, the sorcerer, — vss. 18-24. 4- Their return journey, — 
vs. 25. 

108 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII : 14 



I. This visit was by direction of the Church's leaders, — vs. 14. 

The mission of Philip was of his own motion. The opportunity 
for further service in Jerusalem being for the present denied him, 
his heart full of love and zeal led him to fly, with the good news, 
down to Samaria. It is not improbable also that he thought of 
this city as the safest place for evangelistic effort, while the storm 
of persecution raged in Jerusalem. The enemies of the Nazarene 
would not be likely to seek His followers among their own bitter 
foes, for we may well believe that it was still true that "the Jews 
had no dealings with the Samaritans." 

But, unlike Philip's mission, this of Peter and John was by 
authority of their brethren of the apostolic company. We have no 
warrant for saying that this deputation was sent to Samaria in any 
unfriendly spirit, or for the jealous inspection of a work not orig- 
inated by the leaders themselves. The Church was entering upon 
the second great period of expansion, through the testimony of 
the witnesses, as outlined by her Divine Head (1:8), when His 
disciples were to be witnesses not only "in Jerusalem" but also 
"in all Judea and Samaria." 

It was fitting, therefore, that the apostles should not only mark 
the progress of the Church in this transitional period, but do also 
all they could to guide her development in the right direction and 
to the highest measure of success. And who of their number were 
better qualified to put their hands to the helm than Peter and 
John? So, these old comrades, who had executed so notable a 
commission at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, appear at the 
gates of Samaria, not now, no more than then, with silver and gold 
for the needy, but with the words of grace and Hfe. 



Verse 14. In the choice of able men for important missions the early 
Church is our wise exemplar. 



2. The object of the apostles' coming down to Samaria, — vss. 13-17. 

Their mission in this old capital of the Kingdom of Israel was 
not to criticize the work of the evangelist, but to confirm the souls 
of believers and to impart to them rich spiritual gifts in the baptism 

109 



VIII: 15-17] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



of the Holy Spirit. Manifestly these new disciples had already 
received the Holy Spirit in converting and saving power under the 
preaching of Philip; and they had been baptized in the name of 
the Lord Jesus. It seems evident, therefore, that the use and 
significance of the full formula of Christian baptism in the Triune 
Name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit had as yet neither become 
general, nor generally understood. 

What, then, did the Samaritans receive, through the laying on 
of the hands of the apostles, which they had not already received 
through the preaching of Philip? The answer is, They received 
what fell on the disciples at Pentecost, — what was given to Corne- 
lius and his household under the preaching of Peter, — and what 
came to the Ephesian Twelve through the laying on of Paul's 
hands, i. e., the miraculous endowment of power in the gift of 
the Spirit, — a confirmation of His inner presence and grace, and 
most of all a sign of power to the unbelieving and disobedient. 
They therefore also ''spake with tongues and magnified God." 
And men in Samaria, as ever3^where else, marveled, and said one 
to another, "We have seen strange things to-day." 



Verse 15. Sometimes the best we can do for a fellow-believer is to pray 
for him ; and, if he be a worker in building the kingdom, the best pra3-er we 
can ofifer for him is that he may be filled with the Holy Spirit. — Vs. 17. 
The Church needs a new realization of what it is to be baptized with the 
Holy Spirit for service. 



3. Their dealings with Simon, tJie sorcerer, — vss. 18-24. 

Among those who were astonished by wdiat they saw was Simon 
IMagus. He had been wont to mystify men; now he is himself 
mystified. Here was a secret these men possessed, which he did 
not possess, and could not understand. That secret — this seems to 
be his thought — I must have, that through my hands this mysterious 
power, in the gift of the Spirit and of tongues, may be imparted. 
He had doubtless acquired the mysteries of his occult arts at the 
cost of a large sum of money. If he could purchase this power, 
it would be of more value than all the balance of his mysterious 
possessions. 

no 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII: 18-24 



The possibility that Simon could cherish such a thought, and 
make such a proposition to the apostles, discloses the rottenness 
of the magician's professed conversion, and the hollow formalism 
of his baptism. The sternness of Peter's denunciation is none too 
severe for the perfidy and hypocrisy of the sorcerer. "Thy silver 
perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of 
God with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: 
for thy heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this 
thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy 
heart shall be forgiven thee. For I see that thou art in the gall of 
bitterness and in the bond of iniquity!" Buying the gift of God 
with money ! What sacrilege ! No wonder simony has come to 
be branded as ''the heaviest of all ecclesiastical crimes." 

The effect on Simon of Peter's indignant and withering denun- 
ciation was for the time being terrifying. In the extremity of his 
fear he cried, 'Tray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things 
ye have spoken come upon me." It was the cry of abject fear, but 
not the voice of true penitence. The sacred narrative veils the 
future of the noted magician, once brought so near the gates of 
salvation, and so powerfully wrought upon by the truth of God. 
It is said that he went to Rome with Felix in the year A. D. 60; 
and Christian writers tell of his continued career of colossal impos- 
ture both in the provinces and in Rome itself, ending at last in 
self-deception so great that by his own direction he vv^as buried 
alive in the confident assurance and assertion that he would rise 
again on the third day; and so he perished the victim of his own 
cherished delusions. 

The apostles made short work with the hypocrite; and, leaving 
him to his career of villainy, they turned te the accompHshment 
of their mission. That mission was the double one of testimony 
and evangelization. They "testified, and spoke the word of the 
Lord." They could not forget their function as witnesses of the 
resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. And the "word of the Lord," 
which they proclaimed, was a word of salvation through the cruci- 
fied, risen and exalted Redeemer. 



Verse 18. Simony has come to mean the buying and selling of places 
and preferments in the Church. The essence of the sin is in using religion 
to advance one's temporal interests: and such sin is not uncommon in the 

III 



VIII:26-4o] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



modern Church. — Vs. 19. The possibihty and extent of self-deception. It 
is both a cause and a result of hypocrisy. — Vs. 21. Getting right with God is 
chiefly getting the heart right. — Vs. 22. Sin is something more than wicked 
words or deeds; the thoughts of our hearts need to be forgiven. — Vs. 23. 
The awful state of the impenitent hypocrite, — "He is in the gall of bitterness, 
and in the bond of iniquity." — Vs. 24. A false repentance sometimes carries 
more than one mark of the true. In Simon's case, there were: (i) Concern of 
soul, — (2) Conscious need of help, — (3) Asking for prayer. One may ex- 
perience all these, and still be only a spurious penitent. No sorrow for sin 
will avail, if there be no turning away from sin. 

Vss. 5-24. A Spurious Conversion. 

I. Having gifts, but not grace. 

11, Worshipping the money-god. 

HI. Living for selfish ends. 

IV. Being wrong in heart. 

V, Being wrong in thought. 

VI. Continuing impenitent. 

Vss. 18-24. The Two Simons. 
I. Simon Magus. II. Simon Peter. 

Vss. 18-24. Simon Magus, or Wrong-heartedness. 

1. Covetousness is the essence of wrong-heartedness. 
n. Wrong-heartedness is an evil of the greatest magnitude. 
HI. There is a determinate way in which this enormous evil may be cured. 
IV. Although this way is distinctly defined^ there is a tendency of the cor- 
rupt heart to project methods of its own. — (The Homilist.) 

Vss. 14-25. The Natural Heart. 

I. The natural heart has no knowledge of divine things. 

II. Man's wickedness before God is in the condition of his heart. 

HI. Only God's power can renew the heart. 

IV. The hope of man is in prayer. — (Crosby, Rev. Dr. Howard.) 



Section 3. — The Testimony of Philip before the Eunuch, — 8:26-40. 

26 But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go 
toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: 
the same is desert. 27 And he arose and went : and behold a man of Ethiopia, 

112 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII: 26-40 



a eunuch of great authority under Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, who 
was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship ; 28 and 
he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet 
Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this 
chariot. 30 And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, 
and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said. How can 
I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and 
sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was 
this,— 

He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; 
And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, 
So he openeth not his mouth; 
33 In his humiliation his judgment is taken away; 
His generation who shall declare? 
For his life is taken from the earth. 

34 And the eunuch answered Philip^ and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh 
the prophet this? Of himself, or of some other? 35 And Philip opened his 
mouth, and, beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus. 36 And, 
as they went on their way, they came to a certain water; and the eunuch 
saith. Behold here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 38 And 
he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the 
water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. 39 And when they 
came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and 
the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But 
Philip was found at Azotus: and, passing through, he preached the Gospel 
to all the cities till he came to Caesarea. 



I. The strange commission, — vs. 26. 2. The unexpected meeting, — vss. 
2y-2g. 3. The Gospel in Isaiah, — vss. 30-35. 4. Confessing the Lord 
Jesus, — vss, 36-38. 5. The parting of the ways, — vss. 39-40. 



I. The strange commission, — vs. 26. 

Philip was doing a great work in Samaria. Simon Magus had 
been silenced though not converted. Because of the departure of 
Peter and John it would seem as if Philip ought to have been 
allowed to remain. But he is sent away, — sent to the desert, an 
uninhabited country, — a long journey over the hills of Samaria, or 
to, and then by, the plain of Sharon down the caravan route to 

113 



VIII: 26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Gaza. Somewhere to the far southwest his road would intersect 
the one running down from Jerusalem, through Eleutheropolis, the 
ancient Betogabra. Could not the eunuch have been reached sooner, 
and with less trouble, directly from Jerusalem? Here, as often, 
there seems to be no economy in the Lord's administration of His 
work. He is opulent in resources, and sometimes seems not to 
study petty savings in spreading the truth. 

There were doubtless good reasons for sending this messenger, 
and for sending him from this place. Some of these reasons prob- 
ably found their cogency in Philip himself. A change in the field 
of labor is sometimes good for the laborer. J\Ioses needed to go 
from the populous capitals of the Nile valley to the desert of 
Midian, — and to the "back side of the desert" at that ! The Lord 
would teach Philip some needed lessons perhaps by sending him 
away from the attentive and thronging multitudes of populous 
Samaria to the solitudes of the desert road. 

And other reasons for this scheme find their explanation in the 
Ethiopian Treasurer. Of course, the Lord might have reached 
this man in the neighborhood of Jerusalem. Indeed the glad tidings 
might have come to him in saving power within the city gates. 
But he had not been reached hitherto. He had been apparently 
through the great meetings of Pentecost, but had not been con- 
verted. And now he is on his way to his heathen home. The 
probabilities of his salvation are rapidly diminishing. If he is 
ever saved it must be soon. He has left the place of special sacred 
influences ; but the Holy Spirit is not done with him yet. He has 
not come to faith indeed, but his heart is not hardened. On the 
contrary, he is thoughtful and inquiring. Time is requisite with 
him as with many, during which he may come to realize his need, 
and be led to cry out of the depths for some helper and teacher. 
So, when the preparatory work is done in the hearts of both evange- 
list and seeker, the providence of God brings them together. 



Verse 26. The believer has often, like Abraham, to go out, "not knowing 
whither." — How often our little plans are swallowed up in the larger plans 
of our Heavenly Father — The workers remove or die, but the work goes 
on: the ever-present and ever-living Lord stands by while instrumentalities 
are changed or set aside. 

114 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [¥111:27-29 



Vs. 26. A N. T. Example of Conversion. 

I. What the angel of the Lord did. 

11. What the Holy Spirit did. 

III. Wliat the preacher of Jesus did. 

IV. What the officer did. 

V. What God did.— (The Gospel Preacher.) 

Vss. 26-40. The Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch. 

I. The method of the Holy Spirit with the evangelist Philip. 
II. The Spirit's method with the Ethiopian eunuch. 

III. The harmony of these two methods of influence in their final adjust- 
ment.— (5oo^A, Rev. Dr. R. R.) 



I 

2. The unexpected meeting, — vss. 2^-2^. 

It was unexpected only to Philip and the eunuch. To the 
evangelist the command must have been an inexplicable mystery. 
But he was a soldier; he had learned obedience. "And he arose 
and went." 

"Theirs not to make reply, 
Theirs not to reason why." 

If, as seems not unlikely, his route was by the great caravan road 
from Egypt to Damascus, it may have occurred to him that his 
mission was to some city or village on the way, or to some caravan 
journeying over a desolate part of the route. But he was *'march- 
ing under sealed orders." He knew not whither he was bound. 
And the eunuch himself also had no conception of what was to 
befall him on that memorable day. 

As the veil is lifted in Luke's skillful narrative, we can see what 
was hidden to these two men, how Divine Providence was shaping 
their movements, on those converging roads, to a meeting, memo- 
rable and fruitful evermore in their lives and in the history of the 
Church of God. They are nearing the junction. The north- 
eastern route, branching off from the main line near Gaza, winds 
through the ever shallower valleys, and, rising over intervening 

115 



VIII: 27-29] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



heights, leads up to Jerusalem. Thence it runs north over the hills 
of Samaria and the plain of Esdraelon, to rejoin the main caravan 
route at the base of Lebanon, as it stretches away to Damascus, 
and "the land of the children of the morning." 

Along the one road we see the lone evangelist, with pilgrim 
staff and girded loins, trudging southward, while across the narrow- 
ing strip of uninhabited country the other road comes into view; 
and on it Candace's Treasurer rides his chariot, attended doubtless 
by the retinue of a distinguished traveler. The cavalcade must 
soon have caught the eye of Philip. And he saw the dark-skinned 
nobleman, not looking impatiently forward from his bleak environ- 
ment to the refreshing olive-yards and palm-groves of Gaza, 
gate of Egypt by the sea, but reading the scroll of a book, and 
longing to comprehend the words of grace and life. Then came 
the Spirit's voice to Philip; and the mystery of his mission to the 
far-lying desert road was unveiled. 



Verse 27. Fields of labor, unimportant in the judgment of men, may 
have potentialities of inestimable value. — ^Vs. 27. "Seekers after God" in 
these Pentecostal times were not confined to the sixteen nations mentioned 
in 2:g-ii. Even Ethiopia was stretching out her hands unto God. — Vs. 28. 
The Bible is an excellent book with which to beguile the tedium of travel, 
especially in a foreign land. — Vs. 28. Not every one unsaved in a time of 
religious interest is hardened. Sometimes one who has not come to the light 
is left thoughtful and inquiring. — Vs. 28. One who is only awakened in the 
public assembly is often best brought to Christ in a personal interview. — 
Vs. 28. The diligent reader of God's word is certain somewhere and some- 
time to come across a message just fitted to his heart and circumstances. — 
Vs. 29. Conciliatory approaches to the inquiring are likely to be most freely 
responded to. 



I. Opportunity is a time favorable for the accomplishment of any purpose. 
II. An opportunity lost is lost forever. 
III. God gives opportunities to us all. 



Vss, 27-37. The Conversion of the Eunuch. 



I. 
11. 
III. 
IV 



A courtier who reads the Bible. 

A courtier who acknowledges his ignorance. 

A courtier who asks instruction from his inferior. 

A courtier who is converted. — (The Homilist.) 



Vs. 29. Wayside Opportunities. 



116 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII: 26-39 

IV. Opportunity for Christian service God makes known to us by the voice 
of His Spirit. 

V. If any one would embrace opportunities he must keep himself in thor- 
ough preparation. — {The Treasury.) 

Vs. 29. The First Convert in Africa. 

I. No exertion should be considered too difficult, no prospect too discour- 
aging, if doing good is our purpose. 
II. The Holy Spirit chooses the best people sometimes in the unlikeliest 
places. 

ni. Religious convictions are in value simply inestimable, and ought to be 
cherished as we would cherish our life itself. 

Lessons, — 

1. It is wrong to be fastidious about opportunities. 

2. The measurelessness of a single chance of telling a fellow-being 

about Jesus Christ. 

3. Courtesy is never lost on anybody in this weary and somewhat 

rough world. 

4. Whosoever desires to do good must find out where the Spirit of 

God is leading him, or leading others, and then must simply and 
humbly follow on. — {Robinson, Rev. Dr. Charles S.) 

Vss. 26-39. Personal Evangelism. 

I. The chosen instrument. 

II. The hopeful sphere of exertion. 

HI. The leading of the Spirit. 

IV. The fitting truth. 

Vss. 26-40. The Conversion of the Eunuch. 

I. Not converted in the revival, but very thoughtful. 

II. The humble instrumentality of his conversion. 

III. A great man with a child-like spirit. 

IV. The happiness of a true believer. 

Vss. 26-39. Providence and Conversion. 

I. The journey. 

II. The converging ways. 

III. The interview. 

IV. The parting. 



117 



VIII: 30-35] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



3. The Gospel in Isaiah, — vss. 30-35. 

The unconscious dignity of the Lord's messenger and the lowly 
and teachable spirit of the seeker after the truth are manifest, as 
together they turn to the wonderful words of the evangelical 
prophet, and find in them the Gospel message and ''glad tidings of 
great joy." The trappings of the royal officer and the w^ay-w^orn 
garb of the pilgrim deacon are alike forgotten in the transcendent 
importance of the words, which, with Spirit-filled and persuasive 
power, the one expounds to the other. 

What was the message which Philip found for the inquiring 
Ethiopian in this passage from Isaiah? It certainly embraced these 
important points, viz. — (i) The prophet was not speaking of him- 
self, but of Jesus of Nazareth. He began "from this Scripture, 
and preached unto him Jesus." (2) The death of the Christ was 
no ordinary departure from this world. He died as a vicarious 
sacrifice for sin; — ''Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried 
our sorrows," . . . "He was wounded for our transgressions, and 
was bruised for our iniquities," . . . "He was cut off out of the 
land of the living for the transgressions of my people, to whom 
the stroke w^as due." (3) He was thereunto appointed in the 
eternal counsels. "It pleased Jehovah to bruise Him," . . . "Jehovah 
hath laid on Him the iniquity ol us all." His death, though 
accomplished by the hands of wicked men, came about because "He 
was delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge 
of God." (4) The death of the Christ, the apparent culmination 
of disaster and defeat, w^as, in fact, the beginning and seal of ever- 
lasting triumph. "He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall 
be satisfied." "He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of 
Jehovah shall prosper in His hand." 

Upon this inspired exposition of an inspired prophecy some 
further remarks are needful and pertinent to this age and genera- 
tion. The eunuch would know the meaning of the prophet, "Of 
whom speaketh the prophet this, of himself, or of some other?" 
If the answer of Philip were the opinion of a mere man, it would 
nevertheless merit respectful attention and examination. But it 
is more than the opinion of a man. IManifestly the evangelist was 
guided by the Holy Spirit as to what he should say to this inquir- 

118 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [VIII: 30-35 



ing soul. He was sent on this long journey just in order to say 
what he did. He had been preaching in Samaria the "good tidings 
concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ." 
These expressions are used more than once of the preaching of 
Paul, and are explained, as we shall see, in the record of his 
ministry in Thessalonica (17:2-3), where he taught ''opening and 
alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from 
the dead, and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I preach unto you, 
is the Christ." Philip had been greatly blessed in preaching these 
truths in Samaria; and now to another auditor providentially pre- 
pared to receive the word, and with a text divinely laid to his hand, 
he brings the same saving truth to the Ethiopian Treasurer. And 
so we have here a Gibraltar of the central truth of the Gospel. 
It is impossible for one to read the words of Isaiah without getting 
the impression that they record, and were intended to record, the 
vicarious sufferings of a person, — of one who died for the sins of 
His people. And in the record of Philip's preaching to the eunuch 
we have the divine assurance that this person here prophetically 
described is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. The passage gives 
us, then, the testimony of the Divine Spirit to the meaning of His 
own Scripture. And this exposition of the evangelist is a model 
for us in the interpretation of all Messianic prophecy. 



Verse 30. Reading the Scriptures requires: (i) Earnestness, (2) Hu- 
mility, and (3) Sometimes the teaching of another; — but the private use of 
the Bible is not therefore to be refused. — Vss. 31-35. The providence of 
God in leading the eunuch to this particular Scripture, and to Philip's in- 
spired exposition of it, indicates most clearly what truths are best fitted to 
the needs of inquiring souls. They are the truths that revolve around the 
cross of Christ. The reality of sin, — the death of Christ, — the substitutionary 
and atoning sacrifice, — and the cleansing of the blood, — these are the truths 
the Divine Spirit led Philip to bring before the Ethiopian treasurer. They 
fit the needs of every inquiring spirit. 

^ ( 

Vs. 34. The Eunuch's Question. 

I. The Word of God in travel. 
II. Divine Providence and human instrumentality in conversion. 

III. The sincere inquirer after the truth will find it. 

IV. This passage is the key to the meaning of prophecy. 
V. The joy of receiving Christ. 

119 



VIII 136-38] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



4. Confessing the Lord Jesus, — vss. 36-^8. 

The Treasurer's confession of Christ was immediate and spon- 
taneous. The outward sign of it was his submission to baptism. 
The evangelist's full and explicit answer to his first question, ''Of 
whom speaketh the prophet this ?" leads to the prompt propounding 
of another, ''See here is water, what doth hinder me to be bap- 
tized?" And Philip as promptly accedes to his request. Those 
numerous valleys, ever widening down from the Judean hills, and 
debouching upon the maritime plain, carry streams of water which, 
in the rainy season, become raging torrents, but in the dry are purl- 
ing streamlets and shallow pools slowly shriveling up under the 
summer sun. The crossing of some such water was the eunuch's 
opportunity; and "commanding the chariot to stand still, they both 
went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he bap- 
tized him," doubtless in the presence of the retinue of the traveler. 

It is a shallow exegesis that finds in this passage the mode of 
baptism determined to be by immersion. For, besides the ambiguity 
of the expression, they "both went down into the water, both 
Philip and the eunuch," these students of the Holy Oracles could 
hardly have failed to notice the teaching of the passage which they 
had just been looking into, that He whose "visage was so marred 
more than any man," was in the day of his exaltation to "sprinkle 
many nations" ; and with this Scripture fresh in the minds of both 
teacher and taught, it would seem as if the administration of the 
Sacrament w^ould be most likely to conform to the words of the 
prophecy. That the mode of baptism is not indubitably settled by 
this incident is no doubt true ; but the probabilities of the case are 
certainly not with the immersionist. 



Verses 36-38. Real acceptance of Christ and an open confession of 
Him before men are inseparably connected: he who is unwilling to confess 
is not yet a true disciple. 

Vs. 35. Philip and the Eunuch. 

I. The passage expounded. 
II. The exposition given. 

III. The effect produced. — Simeon {Horcs Homileticcs). 

120 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [¥111:39-40 



5. The parting of the ways, — vss. 3^-40. 

Once more the Lord carries on His work after a strange 
manner. We should have done differently. A distinguished and 
influential officer of a foreign court is converted. Who can tell 
what an open way is now provided for the triumph of the Gospel 
in that foreign land? But how needful that this new convert be 
instructed in the way of the Lord more perfectly! Surely Philip 
should stay by the work and help this young Christian ! So we 
reason. So we should have planned. But the Holy Spirit Himself 
is staying by His work; and He has another and urgent mission 
for Philip. The new convert, with the conscious presence of his 
new-found Divine Saviour, goes "on his way rejoicing." ''But 
Philip was found at Azotus." It is vain to speculate how he got 
there, or why he was transferred. There is no room to doubt that 
there was something miraculous in the transaction. Philip had 
led a strenuous life from the time he had been sent away from 
Samaria; and it may have been in merciful concession to the weari- 
ness of his body that he Vv^as spared the long walk of twenty-five 
miles up to Azotus, or Ashdod. 



Verse 39. Dependence upon men is a besetting temptation of young 
Christians. It is good, and often necessary, to have everything else taken 
from us, and to be shut up to God. To be thus shut up to God is to be 
vitally connected with the unfailing fountain of spiritual joy. — Vs. 40. Per- 
sonal interviews with inquiring souls is an admirable preparation for preach- 
ing the glad tidings to the multitudes we may encounter in our onward way. 

Vs. 39. The Character of the Ethiopian Eunuch. 

I. The character of this favorite of heaven. 
II. The nature of his joy. 

Ill, The way in which he acquired such enviable satisfaction. 

(bishop Dehon.) 

Vs. 39. The Believer^s Joy in Christ Jesus. 

I. In the revelation to him of Christ Jesus, and salvation through His 
blood. 

II. In his admission to the family of Christ by baptism, and all the privi- 
leges connected with this high dignity. 

121 



IX: 1-30] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



III. In the new, clearer, and more satisfying views of the Supreme Being, 

His nature, will, and worship. 

IV. In the prospect of being made greatly and extensively useful to others. 

(Hunter, Rev. Dr. Henry.) 



Section 4. — A New Witness Called, — p:i-^o. 

The historian now turns from the main Hne of his chronicle of 
the growth of the Church, to trace the origin and progress of 
another influence destined soon to become all-powerful and control- 
ing; just as one, exploring the slowly expanding current of a 
mighty river, pauses to trace the fountain spring of a tributary 
stream, which, with rapidly increasing volume, soon joins and 
dominates the rolling flood, as it sweeps onward to the sea. The 
narrative suggests two preliminary questions, which we may well 
consider just here, viz. — 

1. Why another witness? 

2. And why this witness ? 

These two questions in large measure coalesce into one; and this 
one calls for both a negative and a positive answer. 
Another witness was called, 

1. Not because the disciples had made a mistake in the selection 
of Matthias to take Judas's place. This explanation loses sight of 
the fact that the choice of the substitute apostle was no more the 
doing of the fallible brotherhood of believers than of their sovereign 
and omniscient Lord. It was only after they had done all that man 
could do that the disciples appealed to their risen Master to indicate 
His will, and were answered in the disclosure of the lot. And Mat- 
thias was as truly numbered, of the Lord, among His apostles as 
were Peter and John. 

2. Nor was it because it was an after-thought of God to meet 
an unforeseen emergency. Men are obliged to provide checks and 
balances for their defective machinery, vv^hether material or imma- 
terial, and to plan new devices for new necessities, for the incom- 
ing of which they are not gifted with any foresight. But God's 
plans never need any patching or readjustment. ''Known unto 
God are all His works from the beginning of the world," — a 
scriptural truth this, though this statement of it is not found in 

122 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 1-30 



the American Standard Revision, which here follows the most 
ancient manuscripts. Saul's conversion and commission were pro- 
vided for in the counsels of eternity. 

3. Nor was it because of any inefficiency on the part of the men 
whom the Lord had already chosen to be His apostles. Because 
the historian says nothing of the work of these men, save of Peter 
and John, and little of it except in his earlier chapters, while his 
chronicle details the testimony of Paul and Barnabas, and Silas, 
and Stephen, and Philip, it is a gratuitous and baseless charge to 
make that Luke says nothing because there was nothing to say, and 
that these men had proved incompetent and inefficient, and disap- 
pointing to their Lord. Paul no doubt "labored more abundantly 
than they all" ; but there is not the shadow of a reason to believe 
that they had in any respect whatever come short in their work. 
The rapid spread of Christianity among the nations is explicable 
only on the supposition that all the apostles and friends of Christ 
were faithful in the fulfilment of their evangelistic commission. 

We cannot but feel that none of these reasons for calling an- 
other witness is adequate or convincing. But we shall probably 
find a sufficient explanation of the Lord's making another choice, 
and especially of His calling Saul of Tarsus, in one or all of the 
following considerations, viz. — 

I. The risen and exalted Saviour would give His ancient cov- 
enant people a crowning and indisputable evidence of His Messiah- 
ship. His parable represents the Eternal Father as saying, in 
explanation of His last great commission of mercy, — ''They will 
reverence my son." And the Lord here seems to say, — By the 
call and conversion of this flaming persecutor I will give my people 
Israel, who have rejected all other evidence, such an overwhelming 
demonstration of the justice of my Messianic claims as shall be 
convincing to multitudes, and shall leave all men without excuse. 
Saul was known to his contemporaries as few men of his age. 
They knew his passionate devotion to Judaism. They saw many 
evidences of his bitter and fanatical hatred of the Nazarenes. And 
later they saw the marvelous transformation in the life and char- 
acter of the young Pharisee. To thoughtful people, who were 
willing to see with opened eyes, there could be no adequate cause 
of such a change, save that to which Saul invariably ascribed it, 
i. e., his vision of the risen and glorified Jesus of Nazareth. 

.123 



IX:i-3o] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. The enlarging work, soon to take place in the Gentile world, 
needed one specially endowed and fitted to commend the Gospel 
to all peoples. It was no reflection upon the Twelve, who, as their 
enemies said, were "unlearned and ignorant men," and had never 
studied in the rabbinical schools, to say o£ their intellectual furni- 
ture and equipment that they were meager compared with those of 
Saul, who had been brought up in the most celebrated schools of 
his day, both at Tarsus and in Jerusalem. It would be, indeed, 
hard to say that, in native genius and mental power, the author of 
the Fourth Gospel was in any degree inferior to the writer of the 
Epistle to the Romans. But it is safe to say that neither one could 
have written what the other wrote. Each was endowed and fitted 
for his field of labor. And, now that the providence of God was 
opening a new and world-wide field, there was an urgent call for 
an evangelistic herald, specially endowed in gifts and preparation 
for carrying and commending the glad tidings to all outlying 
nations of men. 

3. The Lord would teach His disciples that, even as ''the Son of 
man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them," so His 
Holy Faith on earth must win her triumphs, not by destroying her 
enemies, but by making them her friends. The violent removal 
of the cruel persecutor from the earth by a bolt from the skies 
would have been an answer to the prayers of many of the suffering 
saints. The Church has found abundant and proper use for the 
Imprecatory Psalms. But the grandest triumphs of the Cross 
have been won in saving the enemy while exterminating his enmity. 
We best conquer our foes by making them our friends. 

In these considerations, taken singly or collectively, we find 
a sufficient explanation of the calling of another witness to the 
resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and His enthronement at the 
right hand of God, as the anointed Christ, and sovereign Saviour 
of the world. 

To that Call we must now attend. 



Sub-section i. — "The heavenly vision," — vss. i-g. 

I But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples 
of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 and asked of him letters to Damas- 
cus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether 

124 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 1-2 



men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 And as he 
journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly 
there shone round about him a light out of heaven : 4' and he fell upon the 
earthy and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou 
me? 5 And he said, Who art thou. Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, 
whom thou persecutest : 6 but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be 
told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men that journeyed with him 
stood speechless, hearing the voice but beholding no man. 8 And Saul arose 
from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they 
led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three 
days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink. 



I. The occasion, — vss. 1-2. 2. The place, — vs. 3. 3. The voice from the 
^ky, — vss. 4-6. 4. Shut in with God, — vss. 



I. The occasion, — vss. 1-2. 

The fiery spirit of the persecuting Saul was not satisfied with 
the dispersion of the Nazarenes from Jerusalem. He would follow 
them up in their flight, and seize them wherever they might hide. 
Naturally his eyes turned to Damascus, where was a considerable 
colony of Jews, some of whom no doubt had been at Pentecost, 
and had there come to accept Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah- 
Saviour. Against them the zealot's anger burned; and he sought 
from the high priest authority to do as he desired, to bring them 
"unto Jerusalem in bonds to be punished." 

Saul's method of procedure raises some interesting questions. 
We know from other sources that the high priest, then recently 
exalted to that dignity, was Theophilus. He belonged to the sect 
of the Sadducees; but Saul was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. Is 
Luke's statement credible that such a man would apply to such a 
source for the commission he sought, or that his application would 
meet with favor? A superficial answer would be, No. But, if we 
recall the fact that Herod and Pilate, long-time enemies, laid aside 
their differences through their joint work in sending Jesus to Cal- 
vary, we shall not find it difficult to believe that the enmity of 
these opposing schools vanished from the hearts of their represen- 
tatives because swallowed up in the fierce floods of a common 
hatred of the Nazarenes. 



125 



IX: 2-3] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Another question confronts us, — What authority had the high 
priest in Damascus, that Saul should seek a commission at his 
hands ? The answer reveals the minute accuracy with which Luke's 
story fits into the history of those times. Caligula, the infamous, 
had recently become the successor on the throne of the Csesars of 
the infamous Tiberius. It was quite the custom of the Roman 
Emperors to confirm their own power by playing off one subor- 
dinate ruler against another. After this sort of statesmanship, 
Caligula, though a friend of Herod, yet favored Aretas by con- 
ferring upon him the sovereignty of Damascus. Aretas and Herod 
were enemies. It was the daughter of Aretas whom Herod had 
put away because of his illicit connection with Herodias, his brother 
Philip's wife. Aretas therefore was justly incensed against Herod; 
but he continued to be a warm friend of Theophilus, the high priest. 

Saul had reason, therefore, to believe that the commission of 
the high priest would have availing efficacy even in that alien city, 
and that Aretas the king, through his ethnarch, would confirm the 
authority which the high priest presumed to exercise. So Saul of 
Tarsus, with a fitting retinue as a commissioner of the Sanhedrin, 
started to Damascus. 



Verse i. The terrible power of an unenlightened conscience. If this 
"voice of God in the soul" be wrong, everything is wrong. Saul claimed 
(23:1) always to have lived a conscientious life; nevertheless he made 
havoc of the Church of God and wasted it. — Vs. 2. The significant descrip- 
tion of Nazarenes, disciples, believers, and saints, as the people of "The 
Way." 



2. The place, — vs. 5. 

One spot on the road by which Saul journeyed is of surpassing 
interest, — the place where he was converted. There were in ancient 
times two main routes, by which Saul and his companions might 
have journeyed. One was over the hills of Samaria, turning down 
through Scythopolis, and going on to the Sea of Galilee, where just 
at the lower end of the Sea it crossed the Jordan, and thence 
stretched onward to the northeast. By the other way the travelers 
would continue northward across the plain of Esdraelon and the 

126 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA 



[IX: 3 



hills of Upper Galilee, to strike the main caravan route from Egypt 
to Mesopotamia, crossing the upper Jordan near the waters of 
Merom, or at Caesarea-Philippi, and so onward, as the other road, 
to the northeast. 

It is impossible to say by which road Saul journeyed. And 
happily it is of no material moment to determine the question. The 
probability is that as the roads neared the city they converged into 
one. The traditional scene of ''the heavenly vision" is at Juneh, 
where the traveler gets the first view of the plain of Damascus, 
about six miles southwest of the Garden City. The story of the 
monks is not reliable, but not improbable; and the inspired narra- 
tive itself says that *'he drew nigh unto Damascus." It will not 
be difficult, therefore, to reproduce the scene with a fair degree of 
fidelity to the facts. The road here comes to run upon an elevated 
plateau, from the base of which, as from a gigantic terrace, the 
beautiful and fertile plain of Damascus rolls away to the southeast. 
This plain is intersected in a number of places by Abana and 
Pharpar, whose waters were preferred by Naaman the leper to "all 
the waters of Israel." And these rivers are formed by innumerable 
"streams from Lebanon," the beauty of which has been celebrated 
by Solomon in the Song of Songs. Along the edge of this high 
table-land, just at the verge of the terrace, the highway is cut out 
of the solid limestone rock, which in that region is peculiarly white 
and glistening. The glare of the mid-day sun, shining upon the 
dazzling limestone road, was of exceeding and painful brightness, 
while the heat was no doubt very oppressive. Off. to the right, 
and just below and in front of the company, lay the city of gardens 
and fountains. As an Oriental traveler describes it, who saw it in 
the dry season, when all the surrounding country was as brown as 
a stubble-field, the city lay before the eyes of the persecutor like 
"an emerald gem in a setting of copper-bronze." 



Verses 3-9. The evidential value of Saul's conversion. He was a man 
of pronounced characteristics up to the hour of the "heavenly vision," — a 
Pharisee, and a zealous and even fanatical advocate of Judaism; but from 
that hour he is a man of equally pronounced characteristics of a totally oppo- 
site nature, — an earnest, self-sacrificing evangelist of the faith he had sought 
to destroy. What brought about the change? The right answer to this 
question demonstrates the supreme Divinity and Messiahship of Jesus of 
Nazareth. 

127 



IX: 4-6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



3. The voice from tJie sky, — vss. 4-6. 

We have three accounts of what occurred in this memorable 
place, viz. — (i) Luke's narrative as here given, and probably de- 
rived from the apostle Paul himself, — (2) The story as rehearsed 
by Paul to his countrymen from the castle-stairs, — and (3) His 
account of the event, as given in his testimony before King Agrippa 
in the Praetorium of Cassarea. These three accounts, as we might 
suppose, do not dif¥er one from another in any substantial par- 
ticular ; and they all emphasize deeply interesting details of the 
"heavenly vision.'' — e. g. (i) The sudden flashing forth of the 
blinding light. The radiance of the mid-day sun was almost intol- 
erable. But here was a glory above that noontide brightness. "It 
seemed as if the whole atmosphere had caught fire, and they were 
suddenly wrapped in sheets of blinding splendor." (2) The over- 
wdielmed and fallen cavalcade. There were members of that 
company, w^e may be sure, — and preeminent among them, their 
leader, — who did not fear the face of mortal man. But before this 
appalling visitation from the unseen world they bowled in abject 
dread, as the rushes bend before the storm. (3) The terrifying, 
remonstrating, yet gracious voice of the glorified Nazarene, — ''Saul, 
Saul, why persecutest thou me?" That voice was in the Hebrew 
tongue. The persecutor's companions heard the sound; he alone 
understood the meaning of the words : and with uplifted eye, in 
shrinking glances, and with trembling heart, the persecutor then 
for the first time saw the Lord. Saul now knew that Jesus of 
Nazareth, whose Church he had been wasting, was risen from the 
dead, and was the sovereign Lord of all. (4) The instant obedience 
of a conquered foe. Saul rose from the ground a new man, and 
owning with unreserved devotion a new Master. The transforma- 
tion w^as already complete. 

"Betwixt the stirrup and the ground, 
No mercy sought, he mercy found." 

And his second question, — ''What shall I do Lord?'' is the inquiry 
of a regenerated soul. 



Verse 4. Jesus identifies Himself with His persecuted followers. Per- 
secuting them Saul was persecuting him ! — Vs. 5. The overwhelming revela- 

128 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARL^ [IX: 7-9 



tion of the "heavenly vision," — I the King of Glory am the Nazarene ! — Vs. 4. 
Mercy mingled with the judgment of this terrifying revelation. As Saul re- 
hearses the story to Agrippa, he remembered this, — "It is hard for thee, — • 
not for Me but for thee — to kick against the goad." — Vs. 5. Saul had 
evidently been dealt with by the Divine Spirit before; and he had resisted 
His monitions. He had long but fruitlessly fought against the Holy Spirit's 
work, — "kicking against the goad." 

Vss. 3-6. The Coxversion of Saint Paul. 

I. As a record for our instruction, 
n. As a model for our imitation. 

in. As an example for our encouragement. 

Simeon (Horce HomiletkcB). 

Vs. 4. Kicking Against the Pricks. 

I. An ox. n. An ox-goad. IH. Kicks against it. 

IV. Painful results. V. Wise counsel. — {Spurge on.) 

Vs. 6. Lord, What Wilt Thou Have Me to Do? 

I. An acknowledgment of Divine authority. 

II. A consciousness of personal responsibility. 

III. A definition of practical religion. — {The Homilist.) 

Vs. 6. Life-work. 

I. There is something for ME to do. 
II. God makes out our specific duty. 

III. Duty is to be ascertained by special prayer. 

IV. A willingness to do what God directs is implied in this prayer. 

{Hutchinson, Rev. E.) 

Vs. 4. Why Persecutest Thou Me? 

I. The preparation. II. The vision. III. The voice. 

{Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 



4. Shut in with God, — vss. y-p. 

The Lord did not answer the suppliant's question at once in the 
full measure of his desire. Saul had lived hitherto for himself 



129 



IX : 7-9] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



alone, the absolute master of his purposes and wishes. He had 
need to ask from no one permission to live, nor how. But now and 
henceforth he is the slave of another's will, and is to live in the 
fulfilment of another's plan. That will and plan he is to learn 
from day to day. So by Divine direction he enters the city, to 
await the further manifestation of His purposes, whom henceforth 
he is to serve. 

How different that entry from what he had anticipated! No 
zealous band of fanatical co-religionists met him at the city gates 
to welcome him to his fierce havoc of the little Church! His blaz- 
ing eyes went not searching around for the unhappy victims of his 
wrath ! On the contrary, blinded by that ineffable light, which had 
burst upon him from the heavenly throne, he walked in darkness, 
obedient and subdued, content to be led by the hands of those who 
were themselves cowed and bewildered by the awful vision, and 
so came to his destined lodgings in the street called Straight, where 
Judas lived. 

We can imagine Saul had little to say. He was alone even 
when in the company of his friends. And, shut in with God, he 
must have preferred to be shut away from all human companion- 
ship. The agonizing experiences of those three days, who can 
imagine them? Who can adequately portray the horror of those 
hours, when the recollections, which so often overwhelmed him 
in his missionary life, came rolling in upon him with fresh and 
poignant power, — the appalling revelations of that highway vision, 
that he had made havoc of the saints of God, and with unparalleled 
bigotry and fanaticism had fought against His exalted and eternal 
Son ! Ah ! how he must have bowed in deepest repentance and 
confession before God, crying for mercy, and imploring forgive- 
ness through the blood of the covenant which he had trampled 
under foot ! Saul had no use for food or drink during those wait- 
ing days. He spent their darkened hours in an agony of prayer, 
waiting still the revelation of his Master's will. The time no doubt 
seemed long, but now it is passed. The hour has come for the 
help of brotherly ministries. 



Verse 8. Saul seems to have carried the blighting effect of the unearthly- 
light through all his subsequent years. — Vs. 8. Instantaneous conversion is 
a great and solemn reality. The Spirit of God does not require time for His 

130 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 10-12 



saving work. — Vss. 4-8. Saul was not converted by the miraculous con- 
comitants of "the heavenly vision," but, as every sinner must be, by the 
Word and Spirit of Almighty God. — Vs. 9. Saul, blind and dependent, is 
led by the hands of his friends ; but more than all his hand now and hence- 
forth is grasped by a Divine Leader, who will always show him the way. 



Sub-section 2. — The Messenger's Ministry, — vss. lo-iga. 

ID Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias ; and 
the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias, And he said, Behold, I am 
here. Lord. 11 And the Lord said unto him. Arise, and go to the street 
which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named 
Saul, a man of Tarsus ; for behold, he prayeth ; 12 and hath seen a man 
named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might re- 
ceive his sight. 

13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, 
how much evil he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 and here he hath 
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon Thy name. 15 But 
the Lord said unto him. Go thy way : for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to 
bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 
for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. 

17 And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and, laying his 
hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who appeared unto 
thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive 
thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 And straightway there fell 
from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and 
was baptized ; 19 and he took food and was strengthened. 



I. Authorised, — vss. 10-12. 2, Reluctant, — vss. 13-16. 3. Obedient, — vss. 
17-iga. 



I. Authorized, — vss. 10-12. 

This messenger was Ananias, — "a devout man according to 
the law." He had come to believe in Jesus of Nazareth as his 
Messiah-Saviour. But he seems not yet to have forfeited the good 
opinion of his fellow-countrymen, because, like many in Jerusalem 
at a later date, who believed, yet were "all zealous for the law," 
he still held to the customs which Moses had delivered to them. 
He does not seem to have held any official station in the little 
Church, though of this nothing is said in the narrative; and he 

131 



IX:i3-i6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



was competent to administer baptism, if indeed, as seems probable, 
Saul received the Sacrament at his hand. 

To this man of blameless life and prayerful spirit the Lord 
appeared in a vision. He had conversed with his Lord before, and 
did not need to ask, as did the stricken Saul, *'Who art Thou, 
Lord?" He knew who called him; and instantly he responded, 
"Behold, I am here, Lord." He receives the unexpected commis- 
sion to go at once to the house of Judas in the street called Straight, 
and minister to the needs of the persecutor, who will persecute 
no more. 



Verse lo. When the Lord needs a man He knows where to lay His 
hand upon him, and is ready to commission him. — ^Vss. lo and 13. Clinging 
to, and breaking with, the old order of things ; — Ananias an illustration of 
the one, and Saul of the other. — Vs. 11. The new life begins when one 
begins to pray. The cry of the new-born child says it lives; the prayer of 
the new-born soul has the same meaning. 



2. Reluctant, — vss. 13-16. 

Ananias was not Philip. The evangelist, without question or 
murmur, started at once on his way to the desert road. But 
Ananias stands halting and irresolute. He was acquainted with the 
persecutor's character and reputation. He knew what dire and 
cruel business had brought him to Damascus ; — "Lord, I have 
heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to Thy saints 
at Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests 
to bind all that call upon Thy name." He shrank from any mission 
to such a man. We can hardly find it in our hearts to blame him. 
And yet he was blameworthy. His mind was so perturbed that he 
did not give full credence to his ^Master's assurance, — ''The man 
you dread is not the man you are to meet. He came to persecute. 
Lat remains to pray. Behold, he prayeth ! I ask you to go only 
where I myself have already been, and have given him a vision 
of the divinely appointed messenger, through whose coming and 
ministry he shall receive his sight, and the revelation of my farther 
will as I now make it known to you." "He is a chosen vessel unto 

132 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 13-16 



me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the chil- 
dren of Israel : for I will show him how many things he must 
suffer for my name's sake. Go thy way." 



Verses 13-14. There are lions in the path to the timid disciples, as to 
Bunyan's pilgrim. — ]\Iany believers are bridge-crossers, — before they come to 
them. — Vs. 15. Bearing the name of Jesus, — what a blessed burden ! Recall 
the legend of Christopher, — the Christ-child bearer. — Vs. 16. This is what 
the Lord would show him; — is it what the converted persecutor would know? 

"If I find Him, if I follow, 

What His guerdon here? 
'Many a sorrow, many a labor, 

Many a tear.' " 

Vs. II. "Behold, He Prayeth." 

I. Implies he had never prayed before. 

II. Implies that it is a remarkable thing for such a person to pray now. 

III. How great so ever the wonder, it is declared that now he does pray. 

IV. It is implied that now the Lord accepts his prayer. — {Spurge on.) 

Vs. II. Paul's First Prayer. 

I. The text makes an announcement. 
II. It furnishes an argument. 

III. It makes an application. — {Spurge on.) 

Vs. 15. A Chosen Vessel. 
I. To be made ready. H. To be emptied. III. To be filled. 

Vss. 13-16. An Encouraging Lesson from Paul's Conversion. 

L There are other productive forces at work for the Church besides her 
teaching. 

II. From these sources we may expect remarkable conversions, 
in. The occasional sinking of instrumentality answers admirable ends. 

IV. All this by no means lowers the value of instrumentality. 

{Spurgeon.) 

133 



IX: 17-19] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



3. Obedient, — vss. 

Before this renewed assurance and positive command all Ana- 
nias's hesitation vanishes; and he hastens to fulfill his Master's 
gracious will. It was a memorable meeting — that of the messenger 
of grace, and the bowed and blind and broken persecutor of the 
saints. Deeply interesting and pathetic is it that Ananias, lately 
so suspicious and shrinking, should now take the dreaded commis- 
sioner of the Sanhedrin to his heart, ''and, laying his hands on 
him, should say, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus who appeared 
unto thee in the way thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest 
receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 

Vs. 17, Love in the Heart. 

1. It disarms suspicion. 
II. It embraces the suspected. 
III. It ministers to the mistrusted. 



Sub-section 3. — Saul, the evangelist, — vss. igb-jo. 

igh And he was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus. 
20 And straightway in the synagogU(6s he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the 
Son of God. 21 And all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this 
he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this name? and he 
had come hither for this intent, that he might bring them bound before the 
chief priests. 22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded 
the Jews that dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the Christ. 23 And 
when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him : 
24 but their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates also 
day and night that they might kill him : 25 but his disciples took him by 
night, and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket. 

26 And when he was come to Jerusalem, he essayed to join himself to 
the disciples : and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a 
disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and 
declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that He had 
spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name 
of Jesus. 28 And he was with them going in and going out at Jerusalem, 
29 preaching boldly in the name of the Lord : and he spake and disputed 
against the Grecian Jews; but they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when 
the brethren knew it they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him 
forth to Tarsus. 



134 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 19-25 
I. In DamascUrS, — vss. i9h-25. 2. At Jerusalem, — vss. 26-30. 



I. In Damascus, — vss. 

Saul went to "his own." The days of darkness were gone. 
Forsaken by his former co-reHgionists, and not yet welcomed to 
the brotherhood of believers, he could hardly feel at first that 
there were any on earth whom of right he could call "his own." 
But now he tarries with the disciples for a time; — "He was certain 
days with the disciples that were at Damascus; and straightway in 
the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that He is the Son of God." 
How long a period is covered by the "certain days" of Luke's nar- 
rative is not made clear by the historian. It appears from the 
epistle to the Galatians that Saul's sojourn in Damascus was divided 
into two portions, and that they were separated by an interval of 
three years which Saul spent in retirement in Arabia. For he says 
that after that episode in his life he returned to Damascus. 

While Luke says nothing of this retirement his narrative lends 
itself in quite a notable way to the insertion of some interval in 
the Damascus ministry, perhaps between the twenty-first and 
twenty-second verses of this chapter. In the twentieth verse the 
staple of the new evangelist's preaching was that Jesus was the 
Son of God. Nor is this surprising. After "the heavenly vision" 
this must have been the profoundest impression left on Saul's 
mind, — Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. Day and night this 
single thought must have possessed and dominated his entire being. 
That this Son of God was also the long-expected Messiah seems 
to have become an equally profound conviction of Saul at a some- 
what later period of his spiritual experiences. 

That this Divine Sonship of the Nazarene was the chief if not 
sole topic of Saul's first ministry in the Damascus synagogues is 
probable also from the effect of it. It did not appear to excite 
that fierce enmity which the unbelieving Jews afterward manifested. 
They were at present simply filled with amazement at such teaching 
from such a man, — "And all that heard him were amazed, and said, 
Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called 
on this name?" 

But after Saul's return from Arabia, on the supposition that 

135 



IX: 19-25] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



the silent years are properly located as indicated above, he began 
at once to show the results of his further studies of the Holy 
Scriptures, and his long-continued communion with God. For now 
the chief theme of his preaching was the Messiahship of Jesus of 
Nazareth. He had increased in strength. His whole intellectual 
and spiritual nature had been fortified by his better understanding 
of the Scriptures, and so "he confounded the Jews that dwelt at 
Damascus, proving that this is the Christ." It was this change in 
emphasis in Saul's preaching that aroused the bitter and fanatical 
hatred of the unbelieving Jews. He, who at first dwelt so largely 
upon the Sonship of Jesus, now emphasizes his Messiahship. His 
enemies could hear with open-mouthed wonder the story of "the 
heavenly vision," and be silent for very amazement. But that the 
preacher should declare that their Messiah, — "Hope of Israel, and 
Saviour thereof in the time of trouble," — was that impostor and 
malefactor so recently crucified in Jerusalem under such shameful 
circumstances, — this they could not and would not stand. And so 
they took counsel together to kill him, and watched the gates day 
and night to take him. Saul found no way to escape but by his 
friends letting him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket. 
If his entrance into Damascus several years before had been so 
different from what he had planned, how much more his departure ! 
He was beginning to learn what things he was to suffer for the sake 
of the Name ! 



Verse 20. Saul's first Christian experience was of the Divine Sonship of 
Jesus of Nazareth. Naturally this was the first truth he preached. It is one 
thing to accept this doctrine as taught in the Scriptures ; it is a much more 
mighty thing to realize it in the heart ! Thus did Saul, — and Nathanael, 
John 1:49, — and Thomas, John 20:28. — Vs. 21. Amazement is not enough if 
hearers are to be really benefited by the truth. — Vs. 22. There is reason to 
believe that Saul's strengthening took the silent years of the Arabian retire- 
ment. But then he came forth fully equipped for publishing the glad tidings 
of a Messiah-Saviour! What he did henceforth, in all his evangelistic tours, 
he began to do in Damascus. He proved of Jesus "that this is the Christ." 
Saul evidently had his Bible in his retirement: and his profound study of it 
not only settled his own belief as to the Messiahship of Jesus, but he was 
able therefrom, by the most cogent and unanswerable testimony, to convince 
or confound all who heard him. — Vss. 23-25. The Lord cared for His ser- 
vant, and raised up friends for him. But he was not delivered to recline on 
"flowery beds of ease." He must escape for his life, and for the first of 
many times he was "in peril from his own countrymen." 

136 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 26-30 



Vss. 20-25. The Conversion of Paul. 

I. The character of his spiritual change. 

I. Radical. 2. Genuine. 3. Startling. 
II. The nature of his new faith. 

I. Growable. 2. Discussible. 3. Demonstrable. 
III. The spirit of his first auditors. 

I. Their malignity deadly. 2. Deliberate. 3. Frustrated. 

{The Homilist.) 



2. At Jerusalem, — vss. 

The way being barred to his further ministry in Damascus, Saul 
returned to Jerusalem. The violence of his enemies made necessary 
his hasty departure; and he seems to have left the Garden City 
without either companionship or commendatory letters to the breth- 
ren in Jerusalem. A fugitive and alone, and perhaps on foot, he 
measured the many score miles from the one capital to the other, 
to find himself in Jerusalem in due time unknown and without 
credentials. He was indeed well known to the high priest and the 
ruling powers. But under the circumstances he could have had no 
desire to meet any of them at present. He craved and sought the 
fellowship of the Nazarenes ; and to them he was not known. And 
when he made himself known they were suspicious of him, — did 
not believe that he was a disciple, — and shrank from him as one 
who came among them as a spy to betray them into the hands of 
their enemies. Saul was in a bad way! 

Just here the Cypriote, Joseph, great-minded Barnabas, came 
to his relief. How Barnabas knew Saul is not told us. They may 
have been pupils together in the schools of Tarsus, — Cyprus and 
Tarsus being quite near each other. The two men had this in 
common that they were both Hellenists, and Jews of the Dispersion. 
Saul, himself a Hellenist, probably first sought the synagogue of' 
the Hellenists, hoping to find among strangers in Jerusalem some 
one who knew the heart of a stranger ; and here he may have met 
one who was but a sojourner in the city, even Barnabas, who 
learned his story, and took him to his heart. 

He also brought him to the "apostles." Luke evidently uses 
this term as Paul does himself in Gal. 1 119, in a general sense, as 

137 



IX: 26-30] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



meaning the leading members of the Christian community, — for, 
as a matter of fact, Peter alone of the original Twelve was in 
Jerusalem at this time, the James whom Paul mentions not being 
one of the twelve apostles. Barnabas vouches for his friend before 
the chief of the believing brotherhood. He declares to them "how 
he had seen the Lord in the way, and that He had spoken to him, 
and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of 
Jesus !" This was enough. Saul's position was established. He 
won his way into the hearts of all believers, and went in and out 
among them "preaching boldly in the name of the Lord." And 
Peter, among the first, warm-hearted, impulsive Peter, took him 
not only to his heart but also to his home; and Saul abode with 
him fifteen days. Thus Saul gained one of the objects for which 
he visited Jerusalem. He had wanted to see Peter. It was 
doubtless providential that Saul saw none other of tlie apostles 
for fourteen years (Gal. 2:1). This made the assertion of the 
independence of his apostolic commission very much stronger. 
How blessed the fellowship of these two men during those two 
weeks ! 

But Saul could not be idle even during those sweet and restful 
days ! His heart turned with longing especially to those who, like 
himself, were not home-born citizens of Jerusalem. It was not the 
easiest field for evangelistic effort. Perhaps for this reason Saul 
chose it. At any rate, he turned at once to the scene of Stephen's 
great debate in the synagogue of the Hellenists^ But these foreign- 
born Jews were as unapproachable, bigoted and fanatical as in 
Stephen's day; and, while Saul disputed with them, they began 
to plot for his destruction. They sought to kill him. But Saul's 
life and ministry had become too precious to the saints in Jerusalem 
to be lightly sacrificed. They deemed it wise for him to retire 
before the storm ; and so they brought him down to Cassarea, that he 
might go to Tarsus. He may have gone part way by water; but 
the larger part of the journey seems to have been by land, for he 
says, referring to this period, "Then came I into the regions of 
Syria and Cilicia." Doubtless he went northward on this journey, 
preaching the Gospel and winning converts wherever he went ; for, 
in after years, he began his second missionary journey by going 
through this same region of "Syria and Cilicia, confirming the 
Churches." 



138 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 31-43 



Verse 26. The yearning of a believing soul is for the fellowship of kindred 
spirits. — Vs. 27. Great-minded Barnabas is a type of the friend in need who 
is a friend indeed. — Vs. 27. Three things gave value to the commendation of 
Barnabas: he emphasized the facts, (i) That Saul had seen the Lord, — (2) 
That the Lord had spoken to him, — and (3) That he had preached boldly in 
the name of the Lord Jesus. — Vs. 28. "Going in and going out" was a very 
different life for Saul from the life he used to lead in Jerusalem. — ^Vs. 29. 
Saul was a positive force in Jerusalem, He had many natural affinities for, 
and sympathies with, the Hellenists. But his cogent reasoning and earnest 
speech excited their opposition, which soon turned to hatred and heart- 
murder. — Vs. 30. Once more he escaped, reserved of God's good providence 
for a more abounding service. 

Section 5. — The Testimony of Peter at Lydda and Joppa, — 9:31-43. 

31 So the Church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had 
peace, being edified : and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the com- 
fort of the Holy Spirit, was m.ultiplied. 

32 And it came to pass, as Peter went throughout all parts he came down 
also to the saints that dwelt at Lydda. 33 And there he found a certain man 
named ^neas, who had kept his bed eight years; for he was palsied. 34 
And Peter said unto him, ^neas, Jesus Christ healeth thee: arise, and make 
thy bed. And straightway he arose. 35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and in 
Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. 

36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by 
interpretation is called Dorcas : this woman was full of good works and 
almsdeeds which she did. 37 And it came to pass in those days, that she 
fell sick, and died : and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper 
chamber. 38 And, as Lydda was nigh unto Joppa, the disciples, hearing that 
Peter was there, sent two men unto him, entreating him. Delay not to come 
on unto us. 39 And Peter arose and went with them. And when he had 
come, they brought him into the upper chamber : and all the widows stood 
by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, 
while she was with them. 40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled 
down, and prayed ; and, turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. And 
she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave 
her his hand, and raised her up ; and, calling the saints and widows, pre- 
sented her alive. 42 And it became known throughout all Joppa : and many 
believed on the Lord. 43 And it came to pass, that he abode many days in 
Joppa with one Simon, a tanner. 



I. The state of the Church, making the apostle's itinerancy possible, — vs. 31. 
2. Peter's visit to Lydda, and the healing of Mneas, — vss. 32-35. 3. Pe- 
ter's summons to Joppa, and the resuscitation of Dorcas, — vss. 36-43. 



139 



IX: 31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



I. The state of the Church, making the apostle s itinerancy 
possible, — vs. j/. 

This condition of the Church is sketched with a rapid pen, and 
it discloses a very different state of things throughout nearly all 
Palestine from that which so recently prevailed. 

(1) In relation to her enemies the Church had ''peace." The 
storm of persecution for the time being had spent its force. One 
reason for this probably was the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. 
He had been the head and front of a persecution unexampled in 
bitterness and malignity. The removal of such a leader, and his 
sudden, and to them inexplicable, transfer to the company of the 
Nazarenes, seems to have demoralized the forces of the opposition. 
And for a time they suffered the brotherhood of believers to go 
their own way without molestation. Some writers also find an 
explanation of this lull in the violence of persecution in the fact 
that just at this time the attention of all the Jews was absorbed in, 
and excited by, the sacrilegious command of Caligula to install 
his own statue, as an object of divine w^orship, in their Holy Temple. 
So the enemies of the Church had enough to think about, without 
seeking to destroy the little communities of believers in Jesus of 
Nazareth. Whatever the explanation, ''the Church had peace." 

(2) In her spiritual condition also she was being "edified." 
The historian's word may signify either internal or external up- 
building and strengthening, or both. More commonly in New 
Testament usage it refers to spiritual growth ; and this is probably 
the reference here, inasmuch as the closing word of the sentence 
emphasizes the material and outward progress of the Church. 
Spiritual edification points to a Divine Artificer. The internal life 
and progress of the Church were due to the presence and mighty 
working of the Holy Spirit. And we may w^ell believe that this 
Divine Agent then, as now, made use of the truth as it is in Jesus 
as the instrumentality w4th which He wrought. So, the preaching 
of the truth central to the Gospel, — the sacrificial and atoning death 
and triumphant resurrection of the Son of God, — led, everywhere 
throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, to the building up and 
strengthening of the household of faith. 

(3) In her daily living she was "going forward," under two 
mighty influences, viz. — (a) "The fear of the Lord," and (b) "The 

140 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA 



[IX: 31 



comfort of the Holy Spirit." It is worth our while to gather the 
exact import of these suggestive expressions, and the relations 
which the one sustains to the other. ''The fear of the Lord" is a 
genuine and needful phase of religious experience. There is, it is 
true, a "fear that hath torment," but it is also true that ''the fear of 
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." And "godly fear" is as 
important and needful an element of vital piety as the most tender 
and loving spirit of trust in the souFs Best Beloved. The sense 
of obligation can never be submerged in the ecstasies of love. 

"Going forward" in the "comfort of the Holy Spirit" is not less 
important than walking in "the fear of the Lord." The word here 
used by Luke is the one applied to Barnabas. The apostles called 
him a "son of consolation," — a "son of comfort," or, as in the 
Revised Version, a "son of exhortation." So here we may read 
"comfort," "consolation," or "exhortation" of the Holy Spirit. 
Which shall it be? In the literal meaning of the word we may 
find a combination of the two interpretations, and so come to 
an assured rest in what is probably the very mind of the Spirit. 
The word signifies "one called to the side of another," and refers 
not to a paid advocate, but to the friend, who being called volun- 
tarily comes to one's aid, and stands by him in the time of need. 
In this sense is the Spirit our Advocate. And to "walk in the com- 
fort of the Holy Spirit" is to reaHze that He is ever at our side, 
and to invoke His constant presence and help. 

And it is not difficult to see that, unless we go forward in 
"the fear of the Lord," we cannot hope to have the supporting 
companionship and all-powerful advocacy and comforting of the 
Holy Spirit. 

(4) In her external prosperity she was being "multiplied." 
This happy experience of the primitive Church was not a chance. 
It was the nattiral result of the working of all those elements of 
life and power of which the historian has made mention. The 
Church which has peace, and is advancing in spiritual strength, and 
is going forward in reverential regard for God's holy mind and 
will, and in ever new revelations and experiences of the presence 
and grace of the Holy Spirit, — such a Church will continually draw 
into her fellowship multitudes attracted by her saintly character, 
and longing for the peace which they see she possesses in such 
abounding plenty. 

141 



IX: 32-35] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 31. The Conditions of Prosperity. 

I. Peace without and peace within. 
II. A life of godly fear. 
III. The presence and ministry of the Spirit. 



2. Peter s visit to Lydda, and the healing of ^neas, — vss. J^-J5. 

Lydda, — ancient Lod, and modern Ludd, — is one of the old 
towns of Palestine, and lies in the territory originally allotted to 
Benjamin. In the early Christian centuries, under another name, it 
became a city of considerable size and importance; but there is 
reason to believe that in Peter's day it was, what it had been from 
earliest times, and what it is now, a village of comparative insig- 
nificance. That it should be chosen as the scene of a notable and 
influential miracle illustrates the Scripture that God often chooses 
weak things to confound the mighty. The village is on the road 
from Joppa to Jerusalem, and is beautifully situated on the eastern 
border of the plain of Sharon, upon the top of a low hill, from 
which there are commanding views of the plain in all directions. 
The foothills of the central ridge of Palestine are in the near 
prospect on the east, and the Mediterranean farther off in the west, 
while the maritime plain stretches far beyond the horizon both 
north and south. There are two principal routes by which the 
traveler may go up from Lydda to Jerusalem, — one of these being 
now used by the railroad from the coast to the capital. The ascent 
is quite fatiguing to the pedestrian, there being a rise in altitude of 
twenty-five hundred feet from the village to the city, while the 
distance is only about twenty-five miles. 

It was doubtless by one of these two routes that the itinerating 
apostle found his way down to Lydda, after completing the circuit 
of the Churches in the hill country. It had not been a holiday 
visitation over so mountainous a region; and Peter found it con- 
venient to break his journey at the foot of the hills, and on the 
border of the wide-spreading plain. And so the apostle ''came 
down" to Lydda. 

He came to visit "the saints that dwelt there." And there he 

142 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 32-35 



met with ^Eneas. It is not said that ^neas was a disciple; and 
some writers, as it would seem on insufficient grounds, have thought 
he was not a believer. But, whether a believer or not, he was in 
a bad way. For eight years he had been a bed-ridden paralytic. 
Peter, in the name of his Master, heals him. The manner in 
which the apostle addresses him is worthy of note, and suggests 
Peter's other great miracle at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. 
There he said to the congenital cripple, — "In the name of Jesus 
Christ of Nazareth, walk." Here he says, "^neas, Jesus Christ 
healeth thee; arise and make thy bed." The notable thing in both 
cases is that he disclaims any power to help in himself, and invokes 
the mighty name of the Messiah, — Jesus the Nazarene. And in 
the one case as in the other the invocation is not in vain. The 
paralytic ''straightway arose," and doubtless rolled up the pallet 
on which he had lain a helpless invalid for years. The power of 
the ever-blessed Name gave him perfect soundness in the presence 
of all the people. 

The tidings of this wondrous work of healing went abroad 
beyond the confines of the little village. "And all that dwelt at 
Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord." 
This expression, — "turned to the Lord," — doubtless had a freshness 
of meaning in apostolic times which it has lost to modern ears; 
yet it is deeply significant. Their conceptions of the risen and 
exalted Messiah-Saviour now underwent an entire change; and, 
recognizing Him as their Sovereign Lord, they turned from all 
wicked ways to follow Him. The voice of the merciful miracle 
was as the voice of the preacher in the porch of the Temple, — 
"Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted 
out." And so mightily did the persuasive truth prevail, that all 
who dwelt at Lydda and in Sharon, seeing the paralytic fully re- 
stored, now turned in penitence and faith to the Lord Christ. 



Verse 32. The preaching of the exiles had not been in vain. Scattered 
in the persecution they carried with them the sacred fire. — Vs. 33. Weary 
years are often appointed to suffering saints ; but God has not forgotten them. 
— Vs. 34. Jesus alone can heal the maladies of body and soul; all other 
powers, whether men or medicines, are but instruments. 

"The Great Physician now is near, 
The sympathizing Jesus." — ' — 

143 



IX: 36-43] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 35. How we are turned to the Lord is a matter of little moment; the 
vital thing is the turning. 

Vss. 32-35. Peter at Lydda. 

The miracle : 
1. As expressing the genius of Christianity. 
II. As symbolizing the mission of Christianity. 

III. As indicating the power of Christianity. 

IV. As representing the grandest influence of Christianity, 

{The Homilist.) 

Vs. 34. ^NEAS. 

I. The paralytic of the text reveals a present-day condition and need. 
II. The panacea for all the ills of life is found in Jesus Christ. 

III. We may learn from this subject the need of self-effort. 

IV. The text teaches also that true conversion leaves no doubt. 
V. We see also the power of influence. 

{Drew Sermons on igog Golden Texts.) 



3. Peter s summons to Joppa, and the resuscitation of Dorcas, — 

vss. 36-43. 

The apostle's presence in Lydda was in pursuance of his visita- 
tion of the Churches. He came to Joppa because he was sent for. 
This seaport city was ten miles to the northwest from Lydda, and 
across the beautiful plain of Sharon. The little Church of believers 
in Joppa was in trouble. Tabitha was dead! We know but little 
of her beyond her double name; but, through this simple narra- 
tive, her fame has become world-wide and eternal. She had been 
a most useful member of the Christian community; and her death 
was a sore bereavement to her fellow-disciples. The sorrowful 
event brought to the apostle Peter the occasion of the mightiest 
wonder-work of his ministry so far as the Scripture record enables 
us to judge. 

The story raises two questions of unusual interest; — viz.: (i) 
Why did the believers at Joppa send for Peter? Was it only that 
they might receive the comfort in their affliction, which they might 
reasonably hope to obtain through the ministrations of one of the 
Lord's honored apostles? Or were there some, who remembered 
that the Master Himself, pitying an afflicted mother, had resusci- 

144 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [IX: 36-43 



tated the young man of Nain, "who was the only son of his 
mother and she a widow," — and also, in tearful sympathy with the 
sisters of Bethany, had called Lazarus even out of the grave : and 
was this their thought, — What the Master did for His children in 
sorrow, may He not enable His servant to do for us in our affliction ? 
It certainly would seem as if their expectations looked beyond the 
comfort of a transient visit. Were not their hearts set on some- 
thing more, and hence the urgency of their message, for which 
otherwise there seemed to be no pressing need? They could not 
spare so useful a saint; but, if anything is done it must be done 
quickly, and before these precious remains are laid in the tomb. 
So Peter gets the call of their insistent spirits; — "Delay not to 
come on unto us." And when he came, did he not find in the tear- 
ful company of that upper chamber such power of faith as grasped 
the possibiHty of the restoration to Hfe and service of their departed 
sister? So much we surely believe. 

(2) Why did Peter go about this wonder-work in a manner so 
different from his course at Lydda? In that miracle there seems 
to have been no manifest preparation in faith and prayer of either 
healer or healed. Peter was brought into the company of the 
paralytic, and without preliminaries said to him, ^neas, Jesus, 
the Messiah, healeth thee ; arise and make thy bed." But here the 
apostle locks the door on the whole company of weeping mourners, 
that he may be alone with God and the dead ! Why this unusually 
solemn preliminary? Was it that Peter had never before been 
used of his Lord for the accomplishment of a supernatural work 
so like His own at the grave in Bethany? Was it because he saw 
in his brethren faith "to believe great things of God," and now 
sought for himself faith "to undertake great things for God"? 
We wonder ! And, while we wonder, we recall that other wonder- 
work of an earlier age, when, less than one hundred miles north 
of Joppa, and on this same maritime plain, Elijah was alone in the 
loft at Zarephath with the little dead boy, while he agonized in 
prayer for the resuscitation of the only and well-beloved son. 
Would it be strange if Peter, kneeling at the bedside of the dead 
saint, and buttressing his faith in the power of the wonder-working 
God, should have cried in his heart, "Where is the Lord God of 
Elijah?" He, who gave the victory to the faith and prayer of the 
prophet of old, now crowns with triumph the supplication and con- 

145 



IX: 36-43] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



fidence of His faithful apostle. And, when Peter said, "Tabitha, 
arise, she opened her eyes ; and seeing Peter she sat up." The 
struggles and triumphs of that hour Peter does not disclose. It 
is enough that he called the saints and widows, "and presented 
her alive." And when the wonderful tidings spread abroad through- 
out the city, ''many believed on the Lord." 



Verse 36. The most useful servants of the Church must sooner or later 
come to the end of their labors. — ^Vs. 38. The condition of eminent service 
is supereminent faith, not only in the worker, but also in those among whom 
he is called to labor. Even Jesus could not do many mighty works among 
the people who did not believe. — Vs. 40. The accomplishment of a great 
work for God demands the girding of one's spiritual forces at the mercy- 
seat, and victory with God alone. The patriarch had power with men after 
he had gained power with God. Peter had triumphed before he spoke to 
the dead saint. The real struggle and victory came to the apostle while on 
his knees. — Vs. 42. All Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord upon the 
healing of .<Eneas. Not so in greater Joppa. Under the influence of the 
mightier work of the resuscitation of Dorcas, the historian can say, not 
"all," but only "many believed on the Lord." The village and rural com- 
munity are often more easily and powerfully influenced by the truth than the 
busy, thronging center of civic life. 



I. Her character. II. Her death. III. Her restoration to life. 



I. The ministry of death. 

1. Interesting in person. 

2. Christian in character. 

3. Useful in society. 
11. The ministry of life. 

I. The organ 1 



Vss. 39-40. Dorcas Restored to Life. 



Simeon {Horce Homileticce). 



Vss. 36-43. Dorcas. 




(The Homilist.) 



146 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X:i-2 



Section 6. — The Testimony of Peter before Cornelius, — 10:1-48. 

Sub-section i. — The vision of Cornelius, — vss. 1-8. 

I Now there was a certain man in Csesarea, Cornelius by name, a cen- 
turion of the band called the Italian band, 2 a devout man, and one that 
feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and 
prayed to God always. 

3 He saw in a vision openly, as it were, about the ninth hour of the 
day, an angel of God coming in unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius. 
4 And he, fastening his eyes upon him, and, being affrighted, said, What is it, 
Lord? And he said unto him. Thy prayers and thine alms are gone up 
for a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa, and fetch one 
Simon, who is surnamed Peter: 6 he lodgeth with one Simon, a tanner, 
whose house is by the sea-side. 

7 And when the angel that spake unto him was departed, he called two 
of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on 
him continually; 8 and having rehearsed all things unto them, he sent them 
to Joppa. 



I. The centurion's character and habits, — vss. 1-2, 2. The message of the 
angel, — vss. 3-6. 3. The obedient soldier, — vss. 7-8. 



I. The centurion's character and habits, — vss. 1-2. 

The story of this centurion of Csesarea reminds us of a notable 
characteristic of all the Roman officers of similar grade mentioned 
in the sacred narrative. They were not cruel and bloodthirsty 
men, as might be inferred from their profession of arms. On the 
contrary, they were mild-mannered persons, singularly open to the 
truth, and profoundly impressed by the character and living of 
those who were specially charged with its dissemination among 
their fellow-men. Such was the centurion, whose servant the Lord 
healed, in response to his extraordinary faith, and who so loved 
the Jewish people as to build them a synagogue in Capernaum. 
Such, too, was the centurion of the crucifixion. Charged with 
the execution of Pilate's edict he was not an indifferent spectator 
of the tragedy of Calvary. Deeply stirred by what he saw beneath 
the darkening skies, and heard in the heartrending cries and final 
surrender of the Divine Victim, he could but add his testimony,— 

147 



X:i-2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



"Truly this man was the Son of God." In like manner the centu- 
rion of the "Augustan Band" was the kind-hearted Julius. He was 
commissioned to conduct Paul and other prisoners from Csesarea to 
Rome; and once and again he courteously treated the apostle, and 
permitted his friends to minister to his necessities: and by gentle 
stages brought him to Rome, and delivered him to the "honest and 
soldierly Afranius Burrus," the humane Prefect of the Praetorian 
Guard. 

In keeping with that of these Roman officers was the character, 
official and personal, of Cornelius the centurion of Csesarea. The 
Roman army, in the time covered by Luke's narrative, was made 
up of the legionaries and auxiliaries, the latter having substantially 
the same organization as the former. The legion consisted of 6,000 
men, divided into ten cohorts of 600 each, each cohort into three 
maniples of 200 each, and each maniple into two centuries of 100 
each. The legionaries were not sent into Syria and Palestine until 
the war under Vespasian and Titus, which resulted in the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem. The army of occupation in the Ploly Land, 
therefore, at the time of Peter's visit to Csesarea, was made up of 
auxiliaries recruited from various nations, and which were never 
sent for military service into their native countries. Among these 
auxiliaries was one cohort recruited chiefly in Italy, and therefore 
called the "Italian cohort," or "band" as our version has it. Of 
this cohort Cornelius was one of six centurions; and his separate 
command consisted of one hundred men. 

Such was the official station of Cornelius. Personally, and in 
the sight of men, he was both humble and benevolent. The former 
we should not have looked for in an officer of proud Rome. But 
that he was of a lowly spirit appears from the fact that he was 
willing to learn of divine things from a captive people. Whether 
he had become a proselyte of the Jewish faith does not clearly 
appear. His religion, it seems, was not a mere round of religious 
observances. It took on the practical character of helpfulness to 
his fellowmen. "He gave much alms to the people." 

And before God he was both prayerful and devout. Not only 
did he "pray to God always," but made it the practice of his daily 
life to keep the customary hours of devotion. It was while "keep- 
ing the ninth hour of prayer in his house" that the heavenly vision 
was vouchsafed him. 

148 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X:i-2 



Cornelius was also ''devout" as well as prayerful. The word 
here translated "devout" is not indeed the same as that which 
describes the sojourners in Jerusalem at Pentecost, or the men who 
buried Stephen, though the meaning is substantially the same, — the 
word in those cases distinguishing the devout hfe as one of godly 
fear, and the word here used emphasizing the conditions of accept- 
able worship. 

The application of these terms — ''prayerful and devout — to the 
centurion raises the question, — Was Cornelius a saved man, or, as 
we should say. Was he already a Christian? Some things in the 
narrative incline us to say Yes. (i) How else can we interpret 
the historian's words, — He was "a devout man, and one that feared 
God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and 
prayed to God always." We may well ask ourselves. In what 
stronger terms could we describe a saved man? (2) What mean- 
ing are we to attach to the words of the angel, — "Thy prayers and 
thine alms are gone up for a memorial before God," if they describe 
not the reception accorded to the pious exercises and life of a 
saved man? (3) Still further, what significance has Peter's words 
on entering the Csesarean home, except as the statement of a gen- 
eral principle, of which the centurion's case is a special example, — 
"Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons : but in 
every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness, is 
acceptable to Him." Is it likely that an inspired apostle would use 
such words in addressing an unsaved person ? 

On the other hand, there are some considerations which more 
decidedly incline us to say No, to the question, Was Cornelius a 
saved man? (i) The mission to Joppa would seem to have been 
a needless embassy, except on the supposition that here was a man 
with all his house, who, though their faces were turned toward 
the light, needed the revelation of Jesus Christ as their all-sufficient 
Saviour. (2) This, indeed, is taken for granted in the message of 
the angel, as Peter reports it to his brethren of the circumcision, — 
"Send men to Joppa," was the direction, "and fetch Simon, whose 
surname is Peter, who shall speak unto thee words, whereby thou 
shalt be saved, thou and all thy house." There would seem to be 
no possible interpretation of these words, that does not find back 
of them the fact that Cornelius was as yet unsaved. 

We must admit, then, that the affirmative answers to this ques- 

149 



X:i-2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



tion are not conclusive, while the negative response seems to be 
decisive and incontrovertible. Having reached this judgment, 
though it may seem to lead us into the region of speculation, — a 
speculation, indeed, not wholly unprofitable, — we may venture to 
ask another question bearing upon the character of the cen- 
turion, viz. : — Would he have been saved, had he passed from this 
mortal life before receiving the visit and message of the apostle? 

In seeking a proper answer to this question, we must not lose 
sight of two fundamental truths. One is that salvation is possible 
to man only through Jesus Christ. All who are ever saved must 
be saved by the atoning death. "In none other is there salvation ; 
for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given 
among men, wherein we must be saved." ''Without the shedding 
of blood there is no remission." The other truth equally funda- 
mental is that the merits of Christ's atoning death become available 
for man only through the sovereign and gracious operation of the 
Spirit of God. No better statement of this truth can be given than 
that of the Westminster Assembly, — ''We are made partakers of 
the redemption purchased by Christ by the effectual application of 
it to us by His Holy Spirit." And, still further, "The Spirit ap- 
plieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith 
in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling." 
These statements of wise men are in full accord with Holy Scrip- 
ture; but neither it nor they can be properly interpreted as teach- 
ing that the Divine Spirit operates only in this way. He is a glori- 
ously independent Spirit, who, as these same Westminster Divines 
say, "worketh when, and where, and how He pleaseth." And we 
must believe that in some instances, comparatively rare indeed it 
may be. He may savingly influence unto eternal life those who have 
never heard of Christ with the hearing of the ear. 

And if this seems incredible to us, we may ask ourselves. How 
are infants dying in infancy saved? Is it because they are such 
sweet and innocent creatures? Then are there two classes among 
the redeemed, — some who are saved by the blood of Jesus, and 
some by their sweetness and innocence. And this cannot be, for 
there is but one w^ay of salvation, and there is but one class among 
the redeemed. All are saved by the effectual application to them, 
by the Holy Spirit, of the redemption purchased by Christ. Ordi- 
narily this is done by His working faith in us; but in a multitude 

150 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X:i-2 



of cases, as in the infantile world, it is done without the conscious 
exercise of faith. And this the gracious Spirit may do, in some 
instances, however infrequent, of those who are living up to the 
light already given them, and who are seekers after God, and, 
though blindly, are yet feeling after Him, with their faces toward 
the light. Such a man was the centurion. The Divine Spirit was 
dealing with him before Peter received his commission in Joppa. 
Cornelius was not yet a saved soul; but the perishing of such a 
spirit for want of an intelligent vision of the Saviour Christ for 
whose salvation he was waiting, is unthinkable. 

No discouragement of the missionary enterprise can be drawn 
from this conclusion. It is still true, as a general rule, that "faith 
Cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God," and the 
question is still pertinent, *'How shall they believe in Him of whom 
they have not heard?" The sad fact is that very few, if any, are 
living up to the light they have; and they need, and must perish 
without, the vision of the atoning Christ. The state of that house- 
hold in Csesarea was such as, not to justify leaving them to them- 
selves, but for speedily bringing to them the voices of grace. And 
hence the heavenly vision. 



Verse i. The heavenly message fits the person and the place. As the 
angel's announcement to the shepherds came to simple-hearted men, who 
loved communion with the skies, so here this blessed evangel came to the 
serious seeker after God. And Cassarea, a city wholly separated from Jewish 
history, and vitally connected with the wide-spreading realm of Rome, was 
eminently the place for such a new departure in the growth of the kingdom 
of God. — Vs. 2. They who seek shall find, to them that knock it shall be 
opened. The centurion was seeking God; and God was seeking him. 



Vss. 1-2. The Centurion. 



I. 
II. 
III. 




{Wadsworth, Rev. Dr. Charles.) 



Vss. 1-6. The Conversion of Cornelius. 



I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 



His unfavorable surroundings. 
His good character. 
What did Cornelius still want? 
How was the change brought about? 



(Gerberdingj Rev. G. H.) 



151 



X:3-6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. The message of the angel, — vss. j-d. 

It was a memorable day, and three o'clock in the afternoon, 
when the heavenly messenger came. Cornelius had been praying, — 
doubtless for light and a fuller knowledge of God. He was ''keep- 
ing the ninth hour of prayer." This fact is suggestive. We know 
that dwellers and sojourners in Jerusalem were in the habit of fre- 
quenting the temple courts at the hours of prayer, the times of the 
daily oblation morning and evening. Only from this narrative do 
we learn the probability that serious-minded people throughout the 
land were accustomed to make those hours the time of personal 
and household devotion. Deeply interesting is the fact, if the 
centurion's habit was general, as seems probable, that in the homes 
of God-fearing Israel all over the country, when the lamb was being 
offered in the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, His people were 
everywhere bowing the knee in holy worship, — their right of access 
to God guaranteed by the blood of the daily oblation. 

To the Roman officer under such circumstances and at such a 
time the angel came. Why an angelic messenger? It was enough 
to send Ananias to Saul of Tarsus. Why should a messenger from 
the heavenly realms be commissioned to visit Cornelius? The 
answer is not far to seek. A new and wonderful era in the history 
of God's dealings with His Church was opening up. It was an 
epoch that kindled Paul's exuberant enthusiasm as he wrote of his 
own relation to it to his Ephesian brethren. Now was about to be 
made the wondrous revelation of ''the mystery, which in other 
generations was not made known unto the sons of men, . . . that 
the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and 
fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.'' 
The household of Cornelius was to be the first of all the Gentile 
world to receive a welcome to the household of faith without first 
becoming Jews. And the beHeving Israelites were to learn for the 
first time that the glad tidings of salvation were intended for all 
other people as truly as for themselves. Surely it was fitting that 
the first step in the unveiling of such a marvelous mystery should 
be taken by a messenger from the Throne ! 

More wonderful than the appearance of the angel was the limi- 
tation of his commission. It was not given to him to uncover the 
mystery. This honor, by Divine choice, was to be given to mortal 

15^ 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA 



[X:7-8 



man. The heavenly messenger may stand at the portal ; it is given 
to Peter, an apostle of Jesus, to swing wide the gates and bid the 
multitudes come in. The angel's hands are holden; he cannot 
welcome this Gentile family into the family of God. He can only 
say, ''Send men to Joppa; the herald of the world-wide evangel is 
in the tanner's house : bring him, and hear his words," 

"He brings salvation on his tongue, 
And words of peace reveals." 



Verse 3. Stated times for worship are an aid to faith. God conde- 
scends to meet us in the tim.es and ways of His own appointment. — ^Vs. 5. 
If we faithfully use the light God gives us, He is sure to give us more. 
■ — Vs. 5. Even angels cannot be the heralds of the cross. To sinful men 
is committed the glorious Gospel of the blessed God. 

Vs. 4. The Earthly Life Viewed from Heaven. 

I. Who spoke these words? 
11. To whom were they spoken? 

IH. The truths they were intended to teach us. — {DeWitt, Rev. Dr. John.) 



3. The obedient soldier, — vss. j-8. 

The apparition vanished ; the angel departed. But the centurion 
was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. Promptly, as one ac- 
customed to obey orders, he set about executing the angel's com- 
mand. He manifests no disappointment that the light for which 
he had been praying did not come at once from the lips of the 
heavenly messenger. His attitude was ''Send, Lord, by whom 
Thou wilt send." He has waited at the mercy-seat for the answer 
to his cry; he will now wait for that answer till God's accepted 
time shall come. 

But he will wait in the path of obedience. He will send for 
the messenger. Among the soldiers of his command there were 
doubtless some who did not sympathize with their commanding 
officer. He will not entrust them with such a commission. He 
gives it to "a devout soldier," who, some have conjectured, was the 

153 



X:7-8] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



man who afterwards wrote our second Gospel, — the evangelist 
Mark, and two of his domestic servants. They waited on him 
continually and were in sympathy with his spiritual longings. 

And so urgent was he that they seem to have been dispatched 
at once. We reverently imagine that pilgrim trio marching down 
the caravan road that thirty-five miles to Joppa. The shadows 
of evening were falling a few hours after they left Csesarea, and 
somewhere on the way, perhaps at ApoUonia, they found a resting- 
place for the night; for it was noon on the next day before their 
journey was completed, and they stood before the tanner's gate. 



Verse 7. Happy the obedient household that is served by devout and 
obedient servants. — Vs. 7. If the soldier was Mark, we see how his training 
under the Roman centurion fitted him to understand the Roman character 
and to write that narrative, which has been called the "Gospel to the Ro- 
mans," — the Gospel, according to Mark. 

Sub-section 2. — The vision of Peter, — vss. 9-23. 

9 Now on the morrow, as they were on their journey, and drew nigh 
unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour : 
10 and he became hungry and desired to eat : but, while they made ready, he 
fell into a trance; 11 and he beholdeth the heaven opened, and a certain 
vessel descending, as it were, a great sheet, let down by four corners upon 
the earth: 12 wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts and creeping 
things of the earth and birds of the heaven. 13 And there came a voice to 
him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have 
never eaten anything that is common and unclean. 15 And a voice came 
unto him again a second time. What God hath cleansed, make not thou 
common. 16 And this was done thrice: and straightway the vessel was re- 
ceived up into heaven. 

17 Now while Peter was much perplexed in himself what the vision 
which he had seen might mean, behold the men that were sent by Cornelius, 
having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate, 18 and called 
and asked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, were lodging there. 
19 And while Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, 
three men seek thee. 20 But arise, and get thee down, and go with them, 
nothing doubting: for I have sent them. 21 And Peter went down to the 
men, and said. Behold, I am he whom ye seek : what is the cause wherefore 
ye are come? 22 And they said, Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man 
and one that feareth God, and well reported of by all the nation of the Jews, 
was warned of God by a holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to 
hear words from thee. 23 So he called them in and lodged them. 

154 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X:9-i6 
I. The trance J — vss. g-i6. 2. The messengers, — vss. 17-2 2a. 



I. The trance, — vss. <)-i6. 

Luke's narrative unveils the process of preparation of both 
preacher and hearer for the coming interview. We have seen hov/ 
CorneHus and his household were made ready to welcome the glad 
tidings. The story now reveals the way in which Peter was made 
ready and wiUing to proclaim the joyful news to the people of an 
alien race. Peter was a man of prayer. His closet in the tanner's 
home was on the housetop. On that flat roof he found the mercy- 
seat; and there secluded from the gaze of men by the battlements, 
which according to the law had been erected for the protection of 
human life, and with the expanse of heaven above him, he brought 
his petitions before his glorified Lord. What was Peter praying 
for on this memorable day? From the answer Cornelius received 
we infer that he had been asking for light on the way of salvation. 
We gather that the Church at Antioch was burdened with the lost 
condition of the outlying world, because as she "ministered to the 
Lord and fasted," she received the missionary commission. In Hke 
manner we determine the object for which the apostle prayed from 
the answer he received from the opened heavens. Peter must often 
have pondered the relations of the Gospel to the Gentile world. 
How could the great commission to preach the Gospel to every 
creature be fulfilled without breaking down the ages-old and ap- 
parently divinely-sanctioned restrictions of the Jewish economy? 
Must all men become Jews in order to their becoming Christians? 
And, if not, how could one, who had been taught and trained neither 
to eat nor drink, nor in any way associate, with alien people, bring 
to them the message of the Gospel? This problem must often 
have perplexed the apostle of the Circumcision. Perhaps this day 
the problem pressed for solution with unusual persistency: and, 
unable to solve it himself, he carried it to the Lord in prayer. 

It pleased the Lord to give him a full and unequivocal answer. 
The answer came, not through an angelic messenger, as the cen- 
turion's came to him; but in the vivid visions of a trance. Peter's 
vision hardly needs an explanatory word for ourselves. The lesson 
is plain. The time had come when no mortal man, of whatever 
nationality on earth, could any more be called "common and un- 

155 



X: 17-23] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



clean." Three times the strange message descended from the skies. 
To us the vision needs no interpretation; for Peter the interpre- 
tation was waiting at the gate. 



Verse 9. The closet on the housetop. — Vss. 11-13. The Divine ways of 
the Divine reveahngs, — Ananias to Saul, — the angel to Cornelius, — and the 
trance to Peter. — ^Vs. 14. The wisdom and reason of the Mosaic regulations 
as to food, and the clean and unclean. They kept the chosen people separate 
from their heathen neighbors. 

Vss. 9-30. The Power of Prayer. 

I. Praj^er is a characteristic of the godly. 
II. It conduces to progress in the divine life. 

III. It brings together in a Christian fellowship persons who have been 

separated. 

IV. It unites all true hearts in the service of the Lord Jesus. 

(The Homilist.) 



2. The messengers, — vss. iy-2^a. 

The apostle did not at first see in the vision the answer to his 
prayer. He was much perplexed, and was trying to study it out, 
when the Spirit's message came, — "Behold, three men seek thee; 
but arise, and get thee down, and go with them nothing doubting; 
for I have sent them." And this message at first seemed rather 
a diversion than a solution of his perplexity. As with many a 
child of God, Peter was to learn that light follows service. To the 
believer the way opens as he walks in it. The message brought 
to Peter from Cssarea speedily found in the apostle's mind a 
most vital articulation and connection with the vision of the house- 
top. The soldier's message w^as this, ''Cornelius a centurion, a 
righteous man and one that feareth God, and well reported of by 
all the nation of the Jews, was warned of God by a holy angel 
to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee." What 
more was said we are not told. 

Peter does not hesitate to go; but an immediate journey is im- 
practicable, and so he called the messengers in and lodged them 
till the next day. Would we might have been told something of 

156 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X: 17-23 



the conferences of that memorable afternoon and evening. And 
how busily opened the hours of the next morning, in preparing for 
the journey, and the summoning of faithful witnesses, who might 
hereafter attest the critical events of this memorable and decisive 
movement. All this is left to our imagination. But this we know ; 
late on the third day from the opening of the chapter ten men 
start out from Joppa to go to Cassarea. They were Peter, and 
the three messengers of the centurion, and the six chosen com- 
panions of the apostle. They were so late in getting off, that they 
must needs break their journey en route, as the outgoing messen- 
gers of Cornelius did, and perhaps at the same place; and so it 
came about that it was in the afternoon of the fourth day when 
they reached the home of the centurion in C^esarea. With what 
slow and deliberate movement marched on these mighty events, 
that ushered in a new and wonderful era in the history of the 
Church of God! In our day, and with our modern methods of 
locomotion, Peter could have stood before Cornelius within four 
hours after the angelic vision. God works in infinite leisure. The 
world was perishing for the great evangel; but it took four days 
to open wide the Gospel gates ! 



Verses 17-19. The vision is not self-interpreting; but God sends the in- 
terpretation coincident with the vision. God's providence and God's work 
often illuminate each other. — Vs. 20. Light will come on dark things in 
the path of obedience. — Vs. 22. The servants' certificate of their master's 
character, — (i) A righteous man, — (2) One that feared God, — (3) Faithful 
in his house, — (4) Of good repute among the Jews, — (5) Acting under the 
guidance of the holy angel, — (6) And sending for a disciple of the Nazarene. 



Sub-section 3. — The meeting and the testimony, — vss. 2sh-48. 

23b And on the morrow he arose and went forth with them, and certain 
of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the morrow they 
entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius was waiting for them, having called 
together his kinsmen and his near friends. 25 And when it came to pass 
that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and wor- 
shipped him. 26 But Peter raised him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also 
am a man. 27 And, as he talked with him, he went in, and findeth many 
come together: 28 And he said unto them. Ye yourselves know how it is 

157 



X: 23-48] THE TESTIMONY OE THE WITNESSES 



an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one 
of another nation; and yet unto me God hath showed that I should not call 
any man common or unclean : 29 wherefore also I came without gain- 
saying, when I was sent for. I ask, therefore, with what intent ye sent 
for me? 

30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago, until this hour, I was keeping 
the ninth hour of prayer in my house ; and behold, a man stood before me 
in bright apparel, 31 and saith, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thy alms 
are had in remembrance in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa, 
and call unto thee Simon, who is surnamed Peter: he lodgeth in the house 
of Simon, a tanner, by the seaside. 33 Forthwith therefore I sent to thee; 
and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore we are all here 
present in the sight of God, to hear all things that have been commanded 
thee of the Lord. 

34 And Peter opened his mouth, and said. Of a truth, I perceive that God 
is no respecter of persons: 35 but in every nation he that feareth Him, and 
worketh righteousness, is acceptable to Him. 36 The word which He sent 
unto the children of Israel, preaching good tidings of peace by Jesus, Christ 
(He is Lord of all) 37 that saying ye yourselves know, which was published 
throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John 
preached; 38 even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the 
Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all 
that were oppressed of the devil ; for God was with Him. 39 And we are 
witnesses of all things v/hich He did, both in the country of the Jews, and 
in Jerusalem; whom also they slew, hanging Him on a tree. 40 Him God 
raised up the third day, and gave Him to be manifest, 41 not to all the 
people, but unto witnesses that were chosen before of God, even to us who 
ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. 42 And He charged 
us to preach unto the people, and to testify that this is He who is ordained 
of God to be the judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him bear all the 
prophets witness, that through His name every one that believeth on Him 
shall receive remission of sins. 

44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all that 
heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision that believed were 
amazed, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was 
poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. 46 For they heard them speak with 
tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid 
the water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy 
Spirit as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the 
name of Jesus Christ. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. 



I. The meeting, — vss. sshss; — (i) The inquiry, — vss. 23h-2g, — (2) The re- 
sponse, — vss. 30-33. 2. The testimony, — vss. 34-38; — (i) The address, — 
vss. 34-43, — (2) The result, vss. 44-48- 

158 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X: 23-33 



I. The meeting, — vss. 2^h-^^. 

It was indeed a memorable meeting. No such coming together 
of Jew and Gentile had ever taken place in the history of re- 
established Judah. All parties to the interview evidently regarded 
it as a pregnant event. The principals in the great transaction 
knew they were acting under a Divine impulse. They knew not 
what was to be the outcome of this day's procedure. Peter, led of 
the Spirit, entered the Gentile's house. He was burdened with a 
message to that waiting company. On the other hand, Cornelius, not 
less manifestly led by a mysterious power, met the apostle to receive 
from the stranger Jew and man of God a message of salvation. 
Is it strange that the soldier of Rome fell in profound homage at 
the feet of the soldier of the Cross ? But Peter will not suffer such 
homage. He raises the centurion to his feet, and, entering with 
him into the place of assembly, finds opportunity to propound, — 

(1) The inquiry. He would know wherefore he had been sum- 
moned from Joppa. He had broken away from the traditions of 
his people. He had done that which his countrymen would call 
unlawful, and that for which his own beHeving brethren will call 
him to account. 'T ask therefore," — this is Peter's question, — "with 
what intent ye sent for me?" 'T have been taught not to call you 
or any man common or unclean ; but I have not been told why I 
have been summoned to this extraordinary and lawless course." 

(2) The response, — of the centurion is at hand. He promptly 
assures his visitor that he had obeyed the command of a super- 
natural messenger in sending for him. "Four days ago," he says, 
"at this very hour I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer." Then 
the command came. He believed the man he had been directed to 
send for had something to say worth hearing; and in this faith 
he had gathered his kinsmen and near friends together to hear the 
heavenly communication. The company in the centurion's house 
was a model congregation; — (i) They were all present, — (2) They 
were present in the sight of God, — (3) They were present to hear 
all things that had been commanded of the Lord. Blessed indeed 
is the preacher to whom has been given a message of salvation 
and a congregation divinely prepared to receive it! The outcome 
must needs be the glory of God, and eternal life for dying 
men. It was so here, as we shall see. 

159 



X: 23-28] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Verse 23b. We must ever take care that our good be not evil spoken of. 
The six men were to be witnesses. — ^Vs. 24. The unselfishness of a sincere 
seeker after God: he will have others share the blessing he is about to re- 
ceive. — Vs. 28. Caste and class shall be obliterated by the Gospel. — Vs. 33. 
There were two opinions about Peter's visit to Cassarea, — this of Cornelius, 
"Thou hast well done that thou art come," — and that of the believing Jews 
(11:3). 

Vs. 26. A Man. 

I. Only a man, not a god. 

II. A man, with a man's needs and possibilities. 
III. A man with a Divine message. 

Vs. 29. The Model Preacher. 

I. The conscious bearer of a Divine commission — borne in prayerfulness 
and faithfulness. 
II. He has to do with fundamental and saving truth. 
III. He seeks the wisest adaptation of his message. 

Vs. 33, The Model Congregation. 

I. It is numerous, — embracing family and kindred. 
II. It is devout, — gathered together in the sight of God. 
III. It is teachable and obedient, — to hear all things commanded of the Lord. 

Vs. 33. The Model Congregation. 

I. Punctuality of attendance. 

II. Devoutness of spirit. 

III. Practicalness of purpose. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 28. Christianity vs. Exclusiveness. 

I. True Christianity is adapted to every man in all aspects of his being. 
II. Earnest and humble efforts after a complete knowledge of the truth 

will be gloriously rewarded. 
III. It is the duty of all who have the truth to disseminate its blessings. 

(Parker, Rev. Dr. Joseph.) 



2. The testimony, — vss. 35-48. 

The opening words of Peter's address have been much mis- 
understood, and have been interpreted in such a way as to render 
this entire mission of the apostle to this Gentile home wholly use- 

160 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X 135-48 



less. Some would have us believe that not only these people, but all 
people in every age and place, who do the best they can and live 
an upright moral life may be sure of salvation, irrespective of their 
acceptance or rejection of Christ. That this is not the apostle's 
meaning is evident from the fact that he immediately goes on to 
reveal the way of salvation through a crucified Redeemer, whose 
Divine nature and competence for the work of eternal redemption 
are certified to us by His resurrection from the dead. 

(1) This address emphasizes a number of vital points. The 
glad tidings he preached were tidings of peace. They came to 
them, as to all, through ''J^sus of Nazareth, — He is Lord of all." 
His earthly ministry had been one of benevolence, and full of 
works of healing and mercy. He had been anointed of God with 
the Holy Spirit and with power. Yet He had been crucified, — 
*Vhom also they slew, hanging Him on a tree." But God had 
raised Him from the dead. 

This central point in Peter's address is presented with great 
brevity, indeed, but with extremest care; — (a) God had raised our 
Lord from the dead on the third day; — (b) He had caused Him 
to be made manifest, not to all the people, but to pre-appointed 
witnesses; (c) These witnesses not only saw Him, but also ate with 
Him, and drank with Him, after He had risen from the dead; — 
(d) These witnesses had received a solemn charge to proclaim 
this risen Saviour as ordained of God to be the judge of the Hving 
and the dead; — (e) To this risen Nazarene all the prophets give 
testimony that through His name every one who believes shall 
receive the remission of sins. 

(2) The result of Peter's testimony was wonderful. That Gen- 
tile company was visited from on high by the Divine Spirit. The 
order of events is notable; (a) They "heard the word." It was a 
message of full salvation through a prophesied, crucified, and risen 
and exalted Christ, — exalted to be their Saviour, and ordained to 
be the judge of the living and the dead. That full and gracious 
and solemn word they heard with more than the hearing of the 
ear. They received it into their hearts. As Lydia, "whose heart 
the Lord opened so that she attended to the things which were 
spoken by Paul," so this Csesarean household attended to the apos- 
tle's words, and beHeved. (b) Then followed the descent of the 
Holy Spirit. He fell upon them as upon the one hundred and 

161 



X 135-48] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



twenty in the beginning. He did not need to come to them now 
in saving power ; He had already so come as they heard the word. 
And now He falls upon a company of believers. Whether in 
tongues of parting flames we are not told, but for an outward sign 
to the unbelieving, and for the satisfaction of the chosen witnesses, 
(c) The amazement and conviction of the witnessing Jews came 
in natural sequence. They were astonished at this display of the 
mercy of God. They heard these Gentiles speaking with tongues 
and magnifying the grace of the Lord. There was no resisting 
the evidence that they, too, were made fellow-heirs with their 
Jewish brethren of redeeming love through Jesus Christ, (d) Their 
formal enrollment in the Church of Christ, by their baptism, as 
the Lord commanded, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy 
Spirit. 

So this mighty step in the development of the Church of Christ 
is taken; and the way is open for the world-wide commission to be 
fulfilled. With divine and visible sanction the Gospel may now 
be preached among all the nations of mankind. 



Verses 34-35. God is not indifferent to the good works and upright 
lives of those who so serve Him, not yet knowing Christ. They are accept- 
able to Him now; and He will reveal Himself to them more clearly in His 
own good time and way. — Vs. 36. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. So Paul con- 
cludes, — "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him the 
Name that is above every name." — Vs. 42. The witnesses were charged with 
a two-fold duty, viz. — (i) To testify the Gospel of the grace of God; and 
(2) To proclaim the Nazarene as the appointed judge of the living and the 
dead. — ^Vs. 43. The witnesses of Jesus confirm the witness of all the 
prophets; and all alike certify to the fullness and glorious sufficiency of sal- 
vation through faith in His ever-blessed Name! — Vs. 44. The Spirit fell on 
the congregation just when Peter was dwelling on the fullness of Christ. 
Nothing pleases the Spirit so much as the exaltation of Jesus. — Vss. 47-48. 
The acceptance of Christ and the reception of the Holy Spirit precede the 
baptism of believers in the Triune Name! 

Vs. 36. Preaching Peace. 

I. Peace. 

n. The way of peace, 
in. The messenger of peace. 

162 



I 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [X: 36-38 



Vs. 36. The Message of Peace. 

I. What it implies, 
II. What it proclaims. 
III. What it demands. 



Vs. 38. The Ministry of Jesus. 

I. Anointed of God with the Spirit and with power. 
II. A busy ministry, everywhere doing good and healing. 
III. Accompanied by indubitable tokens of His Father's presence. 



Vss. 39-40. The Witnesses. 

I. They testified to His life, death, and resurrection. 
11. They were pre-appointed to this very service. 
III. They ate and drank with Him after His resurrection. 



Vs. 34. Divine Impartiality. 

I. God does not respect persons in the same sense that man does, — i. e., 
limited, superficial, selfish, popular, and adventitious. 
II. Nor in disturbing for any the settled conditions of happiness. 
III. Nor in the sense of limiting His salvation to any particular class. 

1. The merit of the atonement is sufficient for all. 

2. The force of moral motives is adapted to all. 

3. The agency of the Holy Spirit is available to all. 

{The Homilist.) 

Vs. 38. The Great Itinerant. 

Let us consider Him. 

1. His object, — "Doing good." 

2. His mode of accomplishing this object, — "He went about." 

3. His motive, — Could not help it, — Displaying the glorious attributes 
of God. 

Let us consider ourselves. 

1. As to the past. 

2. As to the future. — (Spurgeon.) 



I. 



IL 



Vs. 38. The Model Home Mission, and Missionary. 

I. The model home mission. 
II. The model home missionary. 

III. The duty of imitating the works of the Great Master. — (Spurgeon,) 

163 



X 138-48] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

Vs. 38. Lives That Lift. 

1. The life that lifts is sympathetic. 

XL The life that lifts is cheerful and hopeful. 

III. The life that lifts is a pure life. 

IV. The life that lifts is a spiritual life. — {Purves, Rev. Dr. G. T.) 

Vs. 38. The Example of Jesus in Doing Good. 

I. Our Saviour's great work and business in the world. 
11. His diligence and industry in the work. 

III. Persuasives to imitate His example. — {Archbishop Tillotson.) 

Vss. 30-44. Cornelius and Peter. 

How Cornelius found Peter. 
How Peter found Cornelius. 
In what condition Peter found Cornelius. 
What kind of a man Peter found Cornelius. 
How Peter preached to Cornelius and his friends. 

{Nelson, Rev. Dr. H. A.) 

Vs. 41. God's Witnesses. 

I. To what were they witnesses. 
II. Before whom were they witnesses. 

III. What kind of witnesses were they. — {Five Hundred Sketches.) 

. Vss. 40-41. Witnesses of the Resurrection. 

The probable effect of a public exhibition of His resurrection. 
Humanly speaking only a few could be made instruments. 
Every great change is effected by the few, not by the many. 

{The Homilist.) 

Vss. 1-48. The First Gospel Sermon to the Gentile World. 

I. The preacher, scene, and audience. 
II. The supernatural preparation. 

1. The angel's visit to Cornelius. 

2. Peter's vision. 

(1) His spiritual exercise and physical state before, and men- 

tal state at the time. 

(2) His strong antagonism to the grand purpose of the vision. 

(3) The providential agency by which this antagonism was over- 

come. 

164 



I. 

II. 
III. 
IV. 

V. 



I. 
II. 

in. 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI:i-i8 



III. The leading truths of this first Gospel sermon. 

1. God's impartiality. 

2. The mission of Christ. 

IV. The immediate results of this first Gospel sermon. 

1. The effusion of the Spirit. 

2. The production of true faith. 

3. The gift of tongues. 

4. The administration of baptism. — {The Homilist.) 

Section 7. — The Testimony of Peter before the Circumcision, — 11:1-18. 

I Now the apostles and the brethren that were in Judea heard that the 
Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter was come 
up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, 3 
saying. Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. 

4 But Peter began, and expounded the matter unto them in order, saying, 
5 I was in the city of Joppa praying ; and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain 
vessel descending, as it were, a great sheet let down from heaven by four 
corners ; and it came even to me : 6 upon which, when I had fastened mine 
eyes, I considered, and saw the four-footed beasts of the earth and wild 
beasts and creeping things and birds of the heaven. 7 And I heard also a 
voice saying unto me. Rise, Peter, kill and eat. 8 But I said, Not so. Lord: 
for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth. 9 But a 
voice answered the second time out of heaven. What God hath cleansed, 
make not thou common. 10 And this was done thrice : and all were drawn up 
again into heaven. 11 And behold, forthwith three men stood before the 
house in which we were, having been sent from Cassarea unto me. 12 And 
the Spirit bade me go with them, making no distinction. And these six breth- 
ren also accompanied me ; and we entered into the man's house : 13 and he 
told us, how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying. Send 
to Joppa and fetch Simon whose surname is Peter; 14 who shall speak unto 
thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house. 15 And, as 
I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the begin- 
ning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, John in- 
deed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit. 17 
If then God gave unto them the like gift as He did also unto us, when we 
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God? 
18 And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified 
God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto 
life. 



I. Peter's return to Jerusalem, — vss. i-2a. 2. The complaint of the strict 
Jewish believers, — vss. 2h-s. 3. The apostle's defence and vindication, — 
vss. 4-18; — (i) Rehearsing the facts, — (2) Emphasizing (a) The two 
visions, and (b) The gift of the Holy Spirit. 

165 



XI: 1-2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



I. Peter's return to Jerusalem, — vss. i-2a. 

We should gladly hare received a more detailed account of all 
the events occurring in this transition period in the Church's prog- 
ress. But as to some of them the sacred annalist has been guided 
to absolute silence, or, at best, to ''a mere glance in passing." One 
of these is the apostle's return to the capital. Peter had gone out 
upon a tour of evangelization and visitation of the Churches. It 
was the only tour he made by himself, so far as is mentioned. The 
providence of God had guided his going down to Lydda, and over 
to Joppa, and up to Csesarea. And the Divine Spirit had dealt 
wondrously with him and through him in all these places. The 
return journey is dismissed in a single line. He had good tidings 
for Zion. He was not indeed the first bearer of the good news. 
He had tarried a few days in the centurion's house for the con- 
firmation of that household's faith; and so the tidings had gone 
ahead of him. 

By what route Peter returned to headquarters, — whether 
through the city of Samaria, and over the hills of Ephraim, — or by 
way of Antipatris, through which Paul was afterwards brought 
down to Cassarea, — or in the way by which he himself had come 
down through Lydda and Joppa, — we are not informed. Deeply 
interesting would it be to have been told how Peter journeyed back 
to the capital, after the wonderful experiences through which the 
Lord had led him. But Luke's narrative gives us no light here. 
We know only that Peter did not go up to Jerusalem by himself. 
The six men who had accompanied him from Joppa to Caesarea 
continued with him in this return journey, and were with him in 
the Holy City, — to support him in meeting the complaints and 
criticisms of them of the circumcision. These had soon to be met. 



Verse i. "Received the word of God" means the same as "Heard the 
word" of 10:44, and "Repentance unto life" of 11:18. 



2. The complaint of the strict Jewish believers, — vss, 2h-s. 

Many in Jerusalem were doubtless ready to receive Peter with 
a glad welcome, and were waiting with the greatest possible inter- 
est for the confirmation by his own lips of the wonderful tidings 

166 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI 12-3 



which had come to their ears. But evidently there were some who 
were inclined to give him a different sort of reception. And these 
immediately entered complaint against him, — ''Thou wentest in to 
men uncircumcised and didst eat with them." We are almost 
ready to lose patience with such people. Here is God's servant re- 
turned from a campaign of victory. He had been used of the Lord 
in healing the incurably sick, and raising the dead, and opening 
the gates of salvation to the Gentile world. Through his ministries 
the Gospel had taken a tremendous stride forward in the fulfilment 
of "the great commission." And the result had been such as should 
have set them to singing hallelujahs. But the only thing in these 
wonderful tidings on which their critical ears had fastened was the 
fact that Peter had eaten and associated with the uncircumcised 
heathen ! 

And who were these people so ready to complain, — so irre- 
sponsive to the unprecedented movements of their day? We must 
not overlook the fact that, though narrow-minded, they were, never- 
theless, true believers in Jesus Christ. Some good people are very 
narrow. We freely confess it, but at the same time confidently 
claim that such believers do not by any means possess a monopoly 
of this quality. And something is to be said on behalf of these 
complaining Jews. They had been trained for ages and generations 
in this attitude of exclusiveness. The restrictive regulations of the 
law had been ordained in mercy to the chosen people, that they 
might be kept from apostasy. And their natural thought was, — The 
reason for the law remaining, the law itself abides. And in the 
course of years they had become overstrict in the construction of 
the law and its application. Only through their own fault the 
commandment which had been ordained unto life they found to 
be unto death. And so it came about that when we should have 
expected the whole heavens to become vocal with anthems of praise 
for a spreading and triumphant Christianity, our ears are saluted 
by the discordant notes of a carping criticism, — "This man has vio- 
lated the time-tried traditions of our fathers, and has gone in to 
eat with the uncircumcised and unclean." 

They believed they were standing for a principle. They sin- 
cerely believed the Gospel of the kingdom was to be preached 
among all nations. But just as truly they believed that it was need- 
ful for all who accepted this Gospel to be circumcised and to keep 

167 



XI:4-i8] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



the law of Moses ! In other words, to them there was no entrance 
into the Christian Church but through Jewish gates. Differences 
on this question resulted in one of the most persistent controver- 
sies of the early Church. It met the apostle Paul everywhere, 
and at every point hindered and harassed his ministry. And, if it 
took a vision from the opened heavens to broaden Peter's concep- 
tion of the appHcation of the Gospel, we need not be surprised to 
find that it required a decree of the first Christian General Assem- 
bly to deliver Gentile believers from this yoke of bondage to the 
Mosaic Institutes. And even then for many years, many believers 
in Jesus were ''exceedingly zealous for the law." 



Verse 2. Differences are best settled, and misunderstandings removed, 
by a frank face-to-face conference. — Vs. 3. The porter at the gates of a 
new epoch may expect censure, possibly martyrdom. 



Peter was not unwilling to placate his criticizing brethren, by 
relating all the circumstances of his visit to Csesarea. So we have, 

3. The apostle's defence and vindication, — vss. 4-18; — rehears- 
ing the facts, and emphasizing the two visions, and the gift of the 
Holy Spirit. 

The apostle rightly judged that no discussion of the right or 
wrong of his conduct in the centurion's house would be of any 
avail. He believed a plain, unvarnished story of the whole trans- 
action would be his best vindication. And so he proceeds to re- 
hearse the events which had brought to them such disquieting tid- 
ings, — "expounding the matter unto them in order," and telling 
the story with which Luke's narrative has already made us familiar. 

It is needless for us to re-traverse the tale. We cannot but be 
struck with the skill with which Peter manages his defence in tell- 
ing of the events referred to. Especially are we to note two 
things, on which the apostle places special emphasis. 

The first is the two visions, his own and the centurion's. He 
had been divinely guided. His prayer for guidance had been an- 
swered in a strange, unique way. By the vision of the great sheet 
let down from heaven, and filled with all manner of living crea- 

168 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI: 4-18 



tures, among which he was bidden to satisfy his hunger, he had 
been taught to call no man common or unclean, and so had been 
prepared for the summons to Csesarea. Cornelius, too, had been 
divinely guided in sending that summons to the tanner's house in 
Joppa. He had been warned by an angel from God to do what he 
had done, and had been assured that he should hear from God's 
servant a saving message, — the word by which he should be saved, 
he and all his house. 

By thus emphasizing the supernatural elements in this trans- 
action Peter convinced his Jewish brethren that what they had 
criticized in his conduct had been done, not through any private 
pact with the Gentile centurion, and in wanton disregard of the 
divinely established order, but by revelation from on high both to 
him and to the Roman soldier. 

Peter's critics were thus prepared for the other part of his story, 
on which he places a fitting emphasis, i. e., the reception by his 
Gentile hearers as he spake of the gift of the Holy Spirit. There 
was no getting around this evidence of the Divine approval of 
what had been done. And the closing question of Peter's defence 
was unanswerable, — "If then God gave unto them the Hke gift as 
He did also unto us, when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
who was I, that I could withstand God ?" 

The apostle's critics were convinced, — possibly some of them 
only silenced as to the unchanging claims of the Mosaic ritual. 
But those who were convinced made their ungrudging and cordial 
acknowledgment, — "Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted 
repentance unto life." 

Before we pass from this testimony of Peter before the cir- 
cumcision, it is worth our while to pause a moment to note the 
full import of these closing words, — "Then to the Gentiles also hath 
God granted repentance unto life." We are in danger of becoming 
so interested in the swinging of the gates through which the Church 
marches into a new era, as to forget the real significance of the 
spectacle here presented, — an evangelist preaching the glad tidings 
of salvation through a crucified and risen Redeemer to a company 
of lost heathen, who in this proclamation are summoned to repent- 
ance of sin and faith in this atoning sacrifice. The gates are wide 
enough for the world; but to the individual soul they are nar- 
rowed to the one condition of "repentance unto Hfe," — that "saving 

169 



XI: 19-30] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and appre- 
hension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred 
of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor 
after, new obedience." 



Verse 4. A plain statement of facts is more valuable than any amount 
of argument. — Vs. 4. There is need for great patience in dealing with those 
who criticize our conduct. The fact that we are undoubtedly in the right 
does not warrant any ruthless and domineering course. — Vs. 5. Blessed the 
places of our sojourning if they be hallowed by our daily prayers. Abra- 
ham's altars and the tanner's housetop tell of the joys of a Divine Com- 
munion. — Vs. 14. The word of the truth of the Gospel is a saving word. 
— Vs. 17. To the clear intimation of the Divine Will the child of God bows 
in unquestioning obedience.— Vs. 18. All true and saving repentance is the 
grant of a sovereign and gracious God, — ''Him did God exalt with His right 
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remis- 
sion of sins" (5:31)- 

Vs. 18. Life Granted to the Gentiles. 

I. The fact acknowledged. 
II. The surprise manifested. 

III. The approbation expressed. — Simeon {Horcs Homileticcs). 

Vs. 18. Success vs. Objections. 

I. The success of the missionary enterprise should silence objections. 
II. It should lead all Christians to glorify God for His great goodness. 
III. It should stimulate us to go forward with increasing vigor, zeal, and 
confidence. — {Alexander, Rev. Dr. Archibald.) 



Section 8. — The Testimony of Barnabas, — 11:19-30. 

19 They therefore that were scattered abroad upon the tribulation that 
arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia; and Cyprus, and Antioch, 
speaking the word to none save only to Jews. 20 But there were some of 
them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were come to Antioch, 
spake unto the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of 
the Lord was with them : and a great number that believed turned unto 
the Lord. 22 And the report concerning them came to the ears of the Church 
which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas as far as Antioch: 
23 who, when he was come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad; and 
he exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the 

170 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI : 19-22 



Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith: 
' and much people was added unto the Lord. 25 And he went forth to Tarsus 
to seek for Saul; 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to An- 
tioch. And it came to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered 
together with the Church, and taught much people; and that the disciples 
were called Christians first in Antioch. 

27 Now in these daj^s there canie down prophets from Jerusalem unto 
Antioch. 28 And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified 
by the Spirit that there should be a great famine over all the world : which 
came to pass in the days of Claudius. 29 And the disciples, every man 
according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren that 
dwelt in Judea : 30 which also they did^ sending it to the elders by the 
hand of Barnabas and Saul. 



I. The occasion of his testimony, — vss. ig-22; — (ii) The two evangelistic 
companies, — vss. 19-20; — (2) The success of the second group, — vss. 20- 
21; — (3) The commission of the Mother Church, — vs. 22. 2. The char- 
acter of his testimony, — vss. 23-260; — (i) Generous and sympathetic, — 
vs. 23a; — (2) Emphasizing essentials, — vs. 23b; — (3) Influential, — vs. 24; 
— (4) Unselfish, — vss. 25-260. 3. The consequences of his testimony, — vss. 
26b-3o; — (i) Great advancement, — vs. 26b; — (2) Wide-spreading spirit 
of loving service, — vss. 27-30. 



I. The occasion of his testimony, — vss. igf-22. 

The determination just here of the chronological order of three 
events in Luke's narrative is of some importance, and of great 
difficulty. These are the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, — the 
visit of Peter to Cornelius, — and the preaching of the evangelists in 
Antioch. Luke seems not always to tell the story of events in the 
order of their occurrence; and this may be the case with these 
three. But we should have no difificulty in believing the order of 
the narrative to be the order of time but for Peter's statement before 
the assembly of apostles and elders, in which he claims (15:7) that 
God had chosen "through him" to open the doors of Gospel grace 
to the Gentiles. As this undoubtedly refers to his preaching in 
Caesarea, this event would seem to have preceded the other two. It 
may be said, indeed, that Peter's words refer only to the public and 
formal admission of the Gentiles to the privileges of Christian dis- 
cipleship ; and if the work of Philip and of the men of Cyprus and 

T71 



XI: 19-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Cyrene did precede his visit to Cornelius, they were nevertheless 
only private and sporadic cases, which do not really militate against 
the justice of Peter's claim. This may be admitted as to Philip's 
preaching on the desert road, but the explanation is hardly adequate 
as to the work in Antioch. 

There were two groups of evangelists who traveled up the 
Syrian coast as far as Antioch, at the time of the persecution that 
arose on the death of Stephen. The one group confined their 
ministrations to their fellow-countrymen, the Jews. The other 
company, natives of outlying countries, Jews of the Dispersion, 
were gifted with a wider outlook, and exercised a broader ministry. 
They were on the highway of travel to the north; and it is not 
only possible but probable that tidings of Peter's work at Csesarea 
may have overtaken them as they journeyed northward. And so it 
came about that, following apostolic example and the impulses of 
Christian benevolence, when they came to Antioch, they "spake unto 
the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus." 

"And the hand of the Lord was with them : and a great number 
of them that believed turned to the Lord." This success is predi- 
cated, not of the whole company of evangelists who entered the 
Syrian capital, but of the second group whose ministries were 
devoted to the Gentiles. There were many Jews residing in An- 
tioch; but they must have formed a comparatively small part of 
the immense population of that great city. And the "men of Cyprus 
and Cyrene" left them to the care of their fellow-workers, while 
they turned with compassion to the teeming myriads gathered from 
all nations, "who were as sheep having no shepherd," and pro- 
claimed to them the glad tidings of a Saviour come to seek and 
to save the lost. It was their ministry the Lord blessed ; and from 
among them, the Gentile peoples, a great multitude believed, and 
evidencing the genuineness of their faith turned from their wicked 
ways to serve the Lord Christ. The success of the Gospel among 
them was so great that tidings of these triumphs of grace speedily 
went abroad, and moving along the lines of common travel soon 
came to the ears of the brotherhood of believers in Jerusalem. 

Greatly stirred and quickened by the news, the Mother-Church 
decided to send a friendly deputation along the track of these zeal- 
ous evangelists, to note the character of their work, and to con- 
firm the faith of believers. It is the conviction of some that this 

172 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI: 19-22 



commission was sent down to Antioch in the spirit of unfriendly 
criticism and censure, or at least of "approval with reserve." There 
seems to be hardly any adequate reason for this judgment. If we 
have rightly determined the order of events, these Antiochean 
evangelists were doing only what the apostle Peter had already 
done in Csesarea, — a procedure which the Mother-Church had tac- 
itly approved. That the mission to Antioch was conceived in a 
fraternal spirit is further evidenced by the fact that they chose 
Barnabas for the responsible work. Joseph, "son of consolation," 
we have come to know as "the great-minded Barnabas." He was 
broad-minded and conciliatory in disposition: and, being himself a 
native of Cyprus, in the nature of the case was likely to scan with 
a kindly eye the work of his Cypriote brethren in the foreign 
capital. If the Mother-Church's message to Antioch had been one 
of fault-finding and restraint, Barnabas would certainly not have 
been chosen as the messenger. His testimony, it might have been 
taken for granted, would be of an entirely different character, as 
we shall see. 



Verse 19. Persecution often multiplies the Church, but never destroys it. 
— Vss. 19^20. The strict and liberal Jews evangelizing Antioch are followed 
substantially by the modern Church in propagating her divisions on heathen 
soil. — Vss. 20-21. The preaching that wins the Divine approval and a multi- 
tude of souls is "the preaching of the Lord Jesus." — Vs. 21. The "hand of 
the Lord" insures the victory. — Vs. 21. True faith precedes and insures gen- 
uine repentance. — Vs. 22. Waiting for, and true interest in, tidings of the 
progress of the kingdom. 

Vs. 23. Personal Christianity. 

1. Personal Christianity is essentially identified with Divine Grace. 

II. Also wherever it exists it is an observable fact. 

III. Also in its extension it delights the heart of the good. 

IV. Also it requires on the part of its subjects the most persevering effort 

{The Homilist.) 

Vss. 20-21. The First Preaching at Antioch." 
I. The spontaneous impulse these men obeyed. 

II. The universal obligation on all Christians to make Christ known. 

III. The simple message they proclaimed. 

IV. The Mighty Helper who prospered their work. 

{Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 



173 



XI: 23-26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss. 27-30. Christianity at Antioch. 

I. The entrance of Christianity into Antioch. 

1. Evil overruled for good. 

2. Invincibility of Christian courage. 

3. The legitimacy of lay preaching. 

4. The universality of the Gospel. 

II. The achievements of Christianity at Antioch. 

1. A divine change in the character of many. 

2. It attracted the attention of the Mother-Church. 

3. It led to the settlement of Barnabas and Saul in the city for 

twelve months. 
4-. It gave the disciples a new name. 

5. It developed a new spirit of benevolence among the people. 

(i) Individual; — (2) Proportionate; — (3) Prompt; — (4) Judi- 
cious. — ( The Homilist. ) 



2. The character of his testimony, — vss. 2^-26a. 

That the testimony of Barnabas was generous and sympathetic 
might be inferred from the character of the man. The record is 
a very suggestive one ; — he "came," — and ''saw the grace of God," — 
and "was glad." Visitors to a foreign land are said to see generally 
just what they go to see, whether it be, e. g., in India, tigers or mis- 
sionaries ! Barnabas went down to Antioch expecting, from the 
tidings which had come up to Jerusalem, to see wonderful mani- 
festations of the grace of God. And he found the half had not 
been told. It filled his heart with gratitude and thanksgiving. He 
entered with heart and soul into the work, and "was glad," Some 
of the brethren at Jerusalem might have stood off in an attitude of 
inquiry if not hostility; but not so Barnabas. It was enough for 
him to see that the Hand of the Lord had been with his brethren, 
and that here before his eyes was a real work of God's Spirit. 
It immediately received his hearty and sympathetic support. With 
what joy he testified the glory of the risen Redeemer, and pro- 
claimed the Gospel of the grace of God! 

The testimony of Barnabas was more than sympathetic. He 
wisely emphasized the essential thing, as, "son of exhortation" 
that he was, "he exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they 

174 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI : 23-26 



would cleave to the Lord." The Church was about to enter upon 
her career of world-wide conquest. Great questions were coming 
up. Difficult problems were about to arise for their solution. 
Divisive influences would soon be felt. Even in their own city, 
and from among their fellow-converts of the children of Israel, 
would spring up some to deny their equal birthright privileges 
among the elect of God. How they were to overcome all these 
difficulties, and tread the narrow way through all these obstacles, 
he might not know, and could not tell. But one thing he knew; 
and this would be the open sesame from all their entanglements, 
i. e., "Cleaving to the Lord with purpose of heart." 

That such a testimony would be vastly influential we may well 
beHeve. ''Much people was added to the Lord." Two things ex- 
plain, as doubtless they contributed largely to, the rapid growth 
of the rising faith. One was the preaching of a person rather than 
a religion or system of belief. The other was the character of the 
preacher by whom the message was brought. The importance of a 
creed cannot be over-estimated. A right apprehension of the truth 
necessitates the orderly arrangement and statement of its various 
parts; and the coordination and correlation of these parts and 
aspects of truth eventuate in a system of faith. But the great 
work of an evangelist is the heralding, not of a system, but of a 
person. It was so at Antioch. The men of Cyprus and Cyrene 
"preached the Lord Jesus." Barnabas exhorted the new converts 
"that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord." The 
stronghold of the Christian religion is in the fact that a divine- 
human heart is at the center of it all, and that all over the world 
sin-weary and heavy-laden men may hear the alluring invitation, — 
"Come unto ME," with the Divine and comforting promise, — "And 
I will give you rest." 

The other thing, bearing on and explaining the power and 
influence of the testimony of Barnabas, is brought out in the sug- 
gestive arrangement of Luke's narrative, — "He was a good man, 
and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith : and much people was 
added unto the Lord." Evidently the sacred writer would have us 
note that character is more than gifts in building the kingdom of 
God. It was not so much what Barnabas preached as what he 
was. His message was vastly important, but the personality behind 
the message gave it weight, and made it mightily influential. Be- 

175 



XI: 23-26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



cause he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, 
therefore much people was added to the Lord. The benign char- 
acter of Barnabas was in keeping with his benign mission. 

With such a character we are not surprised that unselfishness 
marked the course of the great-minded Barnabas. The commis- 
sioner from Jerusalem had not been long in Antioch before he saw 
a mighty field opening out to the followers of Christ. It was a 
field, too, preeminently fitted for the working of a master mind. 
There was just one man to fill the place. That man was Saul of 
Tarsus. And Barnabas started out to find him. He found him in 
his native city, whither he had made his way, when driven from 
Jerusalem to escape his enemies; and he brought him to Antioch. 

This was an unselfish thing for Barnabas to do. He bore him- 
self the commission of the Church of Jerusalem. He was not 
destitute of qualifications for fulfilling it with credit and fidelity. 
The great field was open to him. His own great, immediate and 
honorable advancement seemed assured. But he thought of the 
work, and then he thought of Saul. He knew that Saul possessed 
super-eminent qualifications for the field; and so, without delay, 
he went for him. In doing this Barnabas could hardly have been 
blind to the probability that Saul would speedily overshadow him, 
and that from the first place he must soon descend to the second. 
But this contingency was nothing to him. The great thought in his 
mind was not the place of Barnabas in the Church, but the work 
before the Church, and the best way most speedily to accomplish it. 
(See my "Companion Characters," page 283.) 



Verse 24. Comparative estimate of character and gifts as kingdom 
builders. — Vss. 23-24. When believers "cleave unto the Lord," unbelievers 
are awakened, and "added unto the Lord." — Vs. 25. The wise choice of men 
for fields of labor. — Vs. 25, Self-seeking must be laid aside when the inter- 
ests of the kingdom are considered. 

Vs. 23. The Exhortation of Barnabas. 

I. What he saw, — "The grace of God." 
11. What he felt,— "He was glad." 

III. What he said, — "He exhorted them that with purpose of heart they 
would cleave to the Lord." — {Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 

176 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI 123-26 



Vs. 23. Barnabas at Antioch. 
I. Where the grace of God exists it will be seen. 

II. The exhibition of Divine Grace is a source of peculiar joy to the 
people of God. 

III. The designs of Divine Grace can be realized only by constant adher- 

ence to Christ. — {Five Hundred Sketches.) 

Vs. 24. A Good Man. 

I. Has his heart changed. 

II. Has come to Christ by faith, 

in. Is a true penitent for sin. 

IV. Is correct in the articles of his faith. 

V. Leads a holy life. — {McDowell, Rev. Dr. John.) 

Vs. 24a. On Goodness. 

I. A good man is a converted man. 

II. He is an open and steadfast believer. 

III. He is a man of piety and devotedness. 

IV. He is a man of enlightened and active beneficence. 

V. He is a man whose spirit and life are governed by the Gospel. 

(McParlan, Rev. Patrick.) 

Vs. 26. What the World Called the Church, and What the 
Church Calls Herself. 

I. The world called the disciples "Christians." 

II. The Church calls herself "disciples,"— "believers,"— "saints,"— "breth- 
ren." — (Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 

Vs. 26. The Antioch Christians. 

I. They were LIBERAL Christians, — Liberal as distinguished from Jewish 
exclusiveness. 

II. They were DECIDED Christians; — Because they became known as 
"Christ's Men," they received the new and honorable name. 

III. They were PRAYERFUL Christians: — Their work was a divine work, 

— "The hand of the Lord was with them," — "The grace of God" was 
upon them, — "The power of the Holy Spirit" was in them; — ^And 
they sought Divine aid. 

IV. They were MISSIONARY Christians ;— They gave freely their best 

men to the work of world-wide evangelization. 

177 



XI: 26-30] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



3. The consequences of his testimony —vss. 26b-^o. 

The results of this unselfish testimony of a noble life and faith- 
ful ministry are noteworthy. The advancement of the Church is 
so wonderful as to constitute an epoch in her development. She 
received her new and honorable name in this great Gentile city, — 
'The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." This name 
we may be sure was not self -assumed. The disciples called them- 
selves "believers," ''brethren," those of "the Way," etc. Neither 
could the name have originated with the Jews. They called the 
disciples "Nazarenes." They would never have profaned the name 
of IMessiah, — Christus, by giving it to this new and pestiferous 
sect. It must therefore have been given them by the heathen, — 
possibly in ridicule, but certainly in involuntary attestation of tw^o 
important facts, — (i) The great growth of the brotherhood of 
believers, — and (2) The unworldly consecration of their spirits. 
So widespread had the new faith become that a new name was 
imperative. They could not call them j ews any longer. Probably 
the larger number of disciples were not Jews. Christianity was 
breaking from her Jewish shell; and she must have a separate and 
distinctive name. And in view of their supreme devotion to the 
Lord Christ, what more appropriate name could they give the 
disciples than to call them "Christ's Men," — for such indeed they 
were. And, whether given in ridicule or not, it soon became a name 
of honor, distinctive and worthy. 

The growth of the Church was not in numbers merely. A wide- 
spreading spirit of loving service as truly marked the wondrous 
development of the Blessed Cause. Famines are great calamities; 
but to the follow^ers of Christ they furnish great opportunities. And 
a city with its accumulated resources is not Hkely to feel a famine 
so soon as smaller places. It w^as so with Antioch in the great 
famine in the reign of Claudius Caesar. Through the faithful 
testimony of Barnabas and Saul the young and growing Church 
of Antioch was quick to grasp the opportunity to minister in loving 
service to the Mother-Church in her time of need. And her 
debtors they were. Having received from her so abundantly in 
spiritual things, it was fitting that they should minister to her in 
carnal things. And this they did, sending their gifts to the elders 

178 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XI 126-30 

by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. So, out of dire calamity, came 
a loving, united and co- working Church of both Jews and Gentiles. 



Verses 29-30. The service of love wants but the opportunity. 

Vs. 26b. The PRiMixrvE Christians. 

I. They were disciples. 
II. They held a system of religious doctrines peculiar to themselves. 

III. They were actuated by powerful motives which marked their charac- 

ters with strong peculiarities. 

IV. They manifested extraordinary strictness and purity of conduct. 
V. They were addicted to prayer, and other exercises of devotion. 

VI. They exhibited a practical and impartial philanthropy. 

VII. They showed great zeal and diligence in propagating their religion. 

{Bacon, Rev. Dr. Leonard.) 

Vs. 26b. On Becoming a Christian. 

I. What is it to become a Christian? 
II. How to become a Christian. 

III. Why should you become a Christian? — {Coyle, Rev. Dr. Robert F.) 

Vs. 26b. The Christian Name. 

I. Whence did it come? 
II. What did it mean? 

III. What the special significance of the time, place, and circumstances of 
its origin? — (Cox, Rev. Samuel.) 

Vs. 26b. The Christian Name. 

I. The origin of it. 
II. The meaning of it. 

1. A sign of their separation. 

2. Also that the Christian religion was intensely personal. 

3. Also that their interests and Christ's interests were one. 

{DeWitt, Rev. Dr. John.) 

Vs. 26b. What Is a Christian? 

I. Is one who has accepted Christ as a personal Saviour. 

II. One who bears the name of Christ. 

III. One who is trying to follow in Christ's way. 

IV. One who is enlisted in the cause of Christ. 

V. One who will be admitted into heaven. — {The Treasury.) 



179 



XII: 1-7] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 29. The Gifts from Antioch. 

I. Every man gave in this service of relief. 
II. Every man gave with spontaneous decision. 
III. Every man gave according to his ability. 

Section 9. — The Testimony of Peter's Deliverance, — 12:1-25. 
Sub-section i. — Herod's Day of Power, — vss. i-y. 

I Now about that time Herod the king put forth his hands to afflict cer- 
tain of the Church. 2 And he killed James, the brother of John, with the 
sword. 3 And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize 
Peter, also. And those v/cre the days of unleavened bread. 4 And when he 
had taken him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions 
of soldiers to guard him; intending after the Passover to bring him forth to 
the people. 5 Peter therefore was kept in the prison; but prayer was made 
earnestly of the Church unto God for him. 6 And when Herod was about 
to bring him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, 
bound with two chains ; and guards before the door kept the prison. 

7 And behold, the angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shined in 
the cell; and he smote Peter on the side, and awoke him, saying, Rise up 
quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 8 And the angel said unto 
him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And he did so. And he saith 
unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. 9 And he went out 
and followed; and knew not that it was true which was done by the angel, 
but thought he saw a vision. 10 And when they were past the first and the 
second guard they came unto the iron gate that leadeth into the city; which 
opened unto them of its own accord: and they went out, and passed on 
through one street; and straightway the angel departed from him. 11 And 
when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a truth that the 
Lord hath sent forth His angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, 
and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. 12 And when he 
had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of 
John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together and 
were praying. 13 And, when he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid 
came to answer named Rhoda. 14 And when she knew Peter's voice, she 
opened not the gate for joy, but ran in, and told that Peter stood before the 
gate. 15 And they said unto her. Thou art mad. But she confidently affirmed 
that it was even so. And they said. It is his angel. 16 But Peter continued 
knocking: and when they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed. 17 
But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared 
unto them how the Lord had brought him forth out of the prison. And he 
said. Tell these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, 
and went to another place. 

lao 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XII:i-6 



I. The capricious cruelty of Herod's power , — vss. i-6; — (i) The martyr- 
dom of James, — vss. 1-2; — (2) The arrest and imprisonment of Peter, 
— vss. 3-6. 2. The supernatural thwarting of that power, — vss. 7-17; 
— (i) By the angel of the Lord; — (2) Through the prayers of the 
Church, — vss. 11-17. 



I. The capricious cruelty of Herod's power, — vss. 1-6. 

The Herod here mentioned is known in history as Herod 
Agrippa I. He is the sixth member of the famous, or infamous, 
Herodian family, who came to royal power. By the favor of 
Caligula he obtained the tetrarchy of Trachonitis, with the title 
of king. Later the emperor gave him the tetrarchy of Herod 
Antipas, his uncle, which included Galilee and Perea. And when 
Claudius, his early friend, reached the imperial throne, he gave him 
also dominion over Samaria and Judea ; so that, after various vicis- 
situdes of fortune, he became at length enthroned over the entire 
dominion of his grandfather, Herod the Great, with some preten- 
sions to the title he coveted and which Josephus gives him, of 
"Agrippa the Great." 

He shared also the murderous propensities of his grandfather, 
who slaughtered the infants of Bethlehem, and of his uncle, who 
beheaded John the Baptist. And he became the third member of 
this bloody triumvirate by the martyrdom of James the brother of 
John. His cruelty was more capricious than theirs. A pagan at 
Cassarea, and ready to accept even divine honors from a heathen 
populace, he was an orthodox Jew in Jerusalem, and a great stickler 
for the temple ritual. And whether here or there, by this or that, 
his motive was to curry favor with the people. To win the Jews, 
so recently added to his realm, he is ready to stamp out the pestifer- 
ous sect of the Nazarenes, and so delivers the apostle James to the 
martyrdom of the sword. 

James thus becomes the proto-martyr of the apostolic company. 
He had belonged to the inner circle of the friends of Jesus. On the 
mount of transfiguration, and in Gethsemane, he had been one of 
the chosen three to witness the glory and the agony of his Divine 
Lord. He doubtless shared his brother's fiery zeal, and the name 
the Saviour gave them, "Sons of Thunder." That brother was 
destined to linger on life's stage and ministry for many years, while 

181 



XII: 1-6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



he, the first of all his brethren, receives the martyr's crown. Why 
he should experience the royal cruelty we are not told. Perhaps 
his thundering evangelism aroused the special enmity of the un- 
believing Jews ; and Herod saw that it would be a stroke of popular 
policy to remove the obnoxious preacher from the earth. He, no 
doubt, himself personally, did not care. If the new religion had 
been on the winning side, the capricious king would probably have 
taken an ostentatious place among the Nazarenes. 

And then, — not still that he cared himself, — but because he saw 
that "it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also." He 
intended to kill him, and that, too, in some public way, that would 
manifest his special interest in the Mosaic institutes, and gratify 
the rage of the Jews, by doing to death the most prominent leader 
of the Nazarenes. But not for a moment would he think of such 
a deed of blood during the passover week ! A worthy successor of 
the Lord's accusers, who would not disqualify themselves for eat- 
ing the passover by entering Pilate's judgment hall, he would not 
stain the solemnities of the great feast with the blood of even a 
Nazarene! And so he went through the ceremonies of that mem- 
orable week with murder in his heart, and purposing to make that 
festival of the springtime more memorable by the public execution 
of the Lord's most notable follower. 

He got Peter in his power, and put him in prison. It would 
seem as if Herod had heard of the mysterious escape of the apostles 
from the custody of the Sanhedrin and of the officers of the temple ; 
and, determined that there should be no repetition of that experi- 
ence, he took special pains to so bind and guard the apostle that 
escape should be impossible. Sixteen soldiers, four for each watch 
of the night, were detailed to guard the prisoner. To two of each 
four Peter was bound by two chains; and the other two were sta- 
tioned at the inner and outer doors of the prison, which was prob- 
ably a cell in the fortress of Antonia. With such precautions 
Herod might well believe the prisoner was secure, and would be 
forthcoming on the day of execution. 



Verse i. The biography of Herod; — a life full of opportunities and 
privileges unimproved and abused. — Vs. 2. The biography of James: — a son 
of Zebedee and Salome, and, with his father and brother John, a fisherman 
of Galilee, — called to be a fisher of men, — surnamed a "son of thunder," — 

182 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XII: 7-17 



ready to call down fire from heaven upon the inhospitable Samaritans, — 
seconding his ambitious mother's request that he and John might sit on 
either side of their Lord in His heavenly kingdom, — in the chamber of the 
dead maiden in Capernaum, — in the night on Hermon's transfiguration 
heights, — in the gloom of Gethsemane, — and, last of all, in the sudden call to 
the martyr's crown. — Vs. 4. "Man proposes, God disposes." — Ys. 5. Barred 
gates are often unlocked by prayer, — the prayers of the saints. 



Vs. 6. The Sleeping Peter. 

I. On the mount, Luke 9:32. II. In the garden, Matt. 26:26. 
III. In the prison, Acts 12:6. 



Vss. 7-8. The Angel's Threefold Command. 

s 

I. Rise. IL Dress. III. Follow. 



2. The supernatural thwarting of that power, — vss. 7-17. 

There were forces at work in behalf of the imprisoned apostle, 
with which the capricious tyrant had failed to reckon. His bars 
and bolts and soldier guards were impotent against the power of 
the angel of the Lord. And Peter was easily delivered "out of the 
hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the 
Jews." The narrative of the annalist is clear and deeply inter- 
esting. It needs no explanatory comment. We need only sum- 
marize the various details of the picturesque and vivid story. Peter 
is sleeping ! He has no need to watch ! The Lord is watching over 
His own ! Yet how wonderful that the apostle can sleep, knowing 
that he is marked for death, and that the day is fast drawing nigh ! 
*'So He giveth His beloved sleep." Then came the flashing light, — 
the loosening chains, — the hurried toilet, — and the dazed apostle 
following his angel guide, to find himself in the city street, and to 
realize only then that his Lord had interposed for his deliverance. 
How wonderful the story! How impotent the power of this ca- 
pricious puppet of mighty Rome, when confronting the forces 
of the omnipotent Jehovah ! 

Another force also had escaped the reckoning of the tyrant. 



XII: 7-17] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



The Church at the mercy-seat in believing prayer is omnipotent. 
And the Church was praying for Peter. "Prayer was made ear- 
nestly of the Church unto God for him." Peter was sleeping, but 
the Church was awake and praying. In Mary's house "many were 
gathered together and were praying." This prayer-meeting seems 
to have been prolonged into the later watches of the night. And 
this prayer of the saints had power ; and Peter was delivered. The 
promise was fulfilled to them, — "And it shall come to pass that 
before they call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I 
will hear," — (Isaiah 65:24). 

How strange yet vivid the story. The knocking Peter, — the 
watching, wondering maid, — the astounded circle of prayer, — and 
the apostle's wonderful tidings! It was an ever-memorable night 
in the experience of the little Church! What an aid to faith! 
What an incentive to prayer! What a testimony, invincible, 
overwhelming, to the risen and enthroned Christ, exalted to the 
right hand of God, and invested with all power in heaven and on 
earth! Peter's deliverance from prison by the hand of the angel 
of the Lord Christ was a demonstration of the resurrection of 
Jesus of Nazareth. 



Verse 10. Divine guidance, always real, is most manifest when most 
needed. — Vs. 11. "Peter, left to himself, came to himself." — Vs. 12. The 
apostolic Church in prayer, — 1:14, — 4:24, — 12:12, — and 13:2-3. — ^Vss. 13-15. 
Rhoda, — (i) A messenger of glad tidings; — (2) Discredited and libeled. — 
Vss. 13-16. Doubts are settled not by speculation, but by trial. Opening 
the door for one moment was worth more than a night of wondering and 
questioning. — Vs. 17c and Vs. 11. Assurance of safety is not inconsistent 
with prudent avoidance of possible danger. 



Vss. 5-17. Peter's Deliverance from Prison. 

I. The strength of the helpless. 
II. The delay of deliverance. 
III. The leisureliness of the deliverance. 
IV The delivered left to himself as soon as possible. 

V. The unbelieving astonishment of the believing men who pray, at the 
answer to their prayer. — (Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 

184 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XII 17-17 



Vss. 3-17. The Weakness of Satan. 



I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 



He cannot render unavailing the intercessions of the good. 
He cannot destroy the moral peace of a good man. 
He cannot prevent the visitation of angels to the good. 
He cannot prevent the frustration of his own purposes. 



(The Homilist.) 



Vs. 10. The Iron Gate. 



I. Matter is the servant of the spirit. 
II. Difficulties give way to men who are walking in the path of duty. 
III. Walking under the guidance of God, our faith shall ever be toward 
what is higher. — {The Homilist.) 



I, The Lord should have the glory of them. 
II. We should encourage our brethren by the rehearsal of them. 



Sub-section 2. — Herod's Day of Doom, — vss. 18-25. 

18 Now as soon as it was day there was no small stir among the sol- 
diers, what was become of Peter. 19 And when Herod had sought for him 
and found him not, he examined the guards, and commanded that they 
should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Csesarea, and tar- 
ried there. 

20 Now he was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon : and 
they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's 
chamberlain their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was 
fed from the king's country. 21 And upon a set day Herod arrayed himself 
in royal apparel, and sat on a throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 
And the people shouted, saying. The voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 
And immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God 
the glory : and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. 

24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had ful- 
filled their ministration, taking with them John, whose surname was Mark. 



I. The cruel execution of the guards, — vss. 18-IQ. 2. The suppliant cities, 
and the pact of peace, — vs. 20. 3. The brilliant assembly, — vs. 21. 4. The 
ascription and usurpation of divine honors, — vs. 22. 5. The stroke of 
death, — vs. 23. 6. The growth of the Church, — vss. 24-25. 



Vs. 17. Our Deliverances. 



1S5 



XII:i8-i9] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



I. The cruel execution of the guards, — vss. i8-ip. 

At first thought we should say this was an illustration of Herod's 
power rather than an element in his doom. It was both. *'Whom 
the gods would destroy they first make mad'' was a heathen proverb, 
never more clearly exemplified than in the case of the great Agrippa. 
The question, indeed, will immediately arise. Were not the guards, 
under military law, amenable to the penalty of death? Sleeping 
on guard, in all armies of men, has certainly always been visited 
with the extreme penalty. This is doubtless true yet must we think 
Herod was needlessly cruel in condemning these men to death? 
We shrink from believing that the Lord's plan for delivering Peter 
necessarily involved the destruction of the soldiers to whose cus- 
tody he had been committed. We prefer to think that a more 
thorough and searching investigation of the strange occurrence 
would have revealed to the king the presence and working of such 
occult and supernatural powers as might well lead him to pause 
in his mad rush upon Jehovah's buckler. Such thorough examina- 
tion he plainly did not institute; and, ruthlessly handing his faith- 
ful soldiers over to the judgment of death, he swept haughtily 
onward to his throne of power in C^sarea, and to the awful catas- 
trophe in which his throne went down before the vengeance of the 
Almighty. 



Verses 18-19. Unmerited suffering: the inscrutable and apparent cru- 
elty of Providence. Compare the beheading of John the Baptist, — Mark 6:27. 



2. The suppliant cities, and the pact of peace, — vs. 20. 

The haughty king was greatly incensed against the coast cities 
of Tyre and Sidon. They were not in Herod's jurisdiction; and 
the exact cause of the royal displeasure is not stated by the histor- 
ian. It is a plausible conjecture that Tyre and Sidon, having many 
advantages in age and situation, were working together to cripple 
if not destroy the commercial importance of the new seaport city, 
his favorite capital of Csesarea. It was a short-sighted policy on 

186 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA 



[XII: 21 



the part of Tyre and Sidon; for, while they were commercial em- 
poriums of great importance and power, they had but a strip of 
arable territory between them and the mountain ranges of Lebanon. 
It was true, then, as it is now, that the wealth of peoples came 
from the soil; and these wealthy cities were dependent upon the 
fertile lands of Canaan to the southeast. And those lands were in 
the domain of Herod Agrippa. 

It was of great importance therefore that their royal neighbor 
should be their friend, and that the two adjoining realms should 
be at peace. So, taking occasion of the king's return to his capital, 
and having secured the friendship of the king's chamberlain, per- 
haps by some liberal bribe, they sought to make a treaty of peace, 
by removing the cause of the royal displeasure, and making it 
Herod's interest to lay aside his enmity. Blastus, the master of the 
king's bed-chamber, had great influence with his sovereign; and 
through him the pact of peace was consummated. 



Verses 20-21, The pacts of peace among men are likely to be of short 
duration if God be not a party to them. 



To celebrate the conclusion of this treaty a mighty concourse 
of people assembled in the theater, — the usual place of great popular 
gatherings. Some writers think it was the festival of the Quinquen- 
nalia, observed in honor of Augustus. Josephus says the occasion 
of the assembly was a great festival, extending over several days, 
and attended with gladiatorial combats and other games or shows, 
instituted by Herod to celebrate the return from Britain of his 
friend and patron, the emperor Claudius. This may be true; and 
Luke's narrative dovetails into this wider history, relating the 
embassy of the suppliant cities rpcn one of the days of the great 



Vss. 20-25. An Old Picture of Human Society. 



I. National interdependence. 
II. Class wickedness. 



III. Retributive justice. 

IV. Remedial forces. 



3. The brilliant assembly, — vs. 21. 



1S7 



XII: 22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



festival, when the pageant had reached the culmination of its 
magnificence. The theater was probably in the open air, as was 
common in all semi-tropical cities. Josephus says the amphitheater 
was "in the south part of the city, and commanded a good view 
of the sea," — i. e., the seats looked toward the west. (Josephus 
Ant. XV, 9, 6. See also Lewin's Life and Epistles of St. Paul, 
Vol. 2, page 167, for a plan of C^sarea.) The stone circular seats 
rose tier on tier over the side of some hill or sand-dune, such as 
in our day separates the eastern line of Csesarean ruins from the 
plain that stretches away to the hills of Galilee. We are warranted 
therefore in believing that the rostrum, or bema, was placed facing 
toward the east, while the multitudes were gathered, in front and 
around, in the majestic amphitheater. 



4. The ascription and usurpation of divine honors, — vs. 22. 

It was a great occasion, — a great audience; — and, as Herod 
would have the people believe, a great sovereign stood before them. 
He made an oration to the multitude. We may be sure he was 
rigorously attentive to all the adjuncts of powerful and influential 
oratory. Luke tells us that he arrayed himself in royal apparel. 
From other sources we learn that his robe was of a burnished silver 
texture. And as the morning sun rose over the plain of Sharon on 
that first of August (for that was the date, and doubtless the 
assembly was early in the morning, before the coming on of the 
extreme heat) his radiant beams were reflected from the brilliant 
silver robe; and his majesty must have shone in an aureole of well- 
nigh ineffable splendor. No doubt the praise-loving monarch had 
calculated the effect of it all ; and he would, and he meant to, appear 
to the vast concourse of people as a being of more than mortal 
power and dignity. It is not unlikely, indeed, that he had privately 
arranged with some myrmidons of the palace to start the cry of 
sycophant adulation, — 'The voice of a god, and not of a man !" 
The words were as sweet music to his ears. He had reached the 
highest goal of royal Roman ambition, — to be deified by the people. 
He accepted the divine honors, and felicitated himself on being 
now really and truly a god ! 

188 



IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA [XII 123 



5. The stroke of death, — vs. 2^. 

Then God smote him! The judgment of the Almighty fell 
upon Herod, not because the deification was thrust upon him, but 
because he accepted it — perhaps courted it, and gloried in it. "An 
angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory." 
The king was not an ignorant heathen. We are not, indeed, able 
to say how far he was informed on the themes of Israel's super- 
natural history, and the wonderful events which signalized the 
origin and propagation of the new faith. We know that his son 
and successor was "expert in all the customs and questions which 
prevailed among the Jews" (26:3), and was well advised of all 
things pertaining to the spread of Christianity, for "these things 
were not done in a corner" (26:26). And it seems hardly prob- 
able that the father was less informed than the son. He probably 
knew more than a pagan from Rome of the true religion, at least 
as it was exemplified in Judaism, and had heard of the glory of 
the great and dreadful God, who dwelt above the heavens, and 
whose glory He would not share with another. That apotheosis in 
the Csesarean theater was not on the part of the king an act of 
ignorance. He knew what it meant. Nevertheless, a puny, pigmy, 
mortal man, he presumed to reach up and grasp the scepter of the 
Almighty, and take the worship and glory which belonged to Him 
alone ! 

It was an act of heaven-daring impiety, which merited the sud- 
den and overwhelming stroke of Divine vengeance. And God smote 
him ! His career is cut short ! He dies, not as a hero on the field 
of battle, and confronting his foes in honorable conflict, but igno- 
miniously and ingloriously ! Not a god, but a worm of the dust, 
his horrible end is to be devoured by worms, who begin their 
ghoulish, ghastly feast before his agonizing spirit has left its 
mortal part, and his festering corpse has been put beneath the sod ! 
So "O Lord, let thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate 
Thee flee before Thee !" 



Verses 22-23. The doom of the incorrigible. In the spring Herod is 
in the full tide of aristocratic power; by midsummer he is rotting in a 
tyrant's sepulchre! 

i8g 



XII: 24-25] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



6. The growth of the Church, — vss. 24.-25. 

This section opens with a view of the capricious and haughty 
monarch sweeping proudly on to his throne of power, brushing 
from his way the unhappy guards, whom he had adjudged to death. 
It closes with a vision of the Church of the Nazarene marching on 
to her world-wide conquest, indifferent to the fate of him who 
had afflicted her, but who now rotted in a dishonored sepulchre. 
"The word of the Lord grew and multiplied." The royal cortege 
went down from Jerusalem to Csesarea to witness the failure of all 
the proud words of the enemies of Christ. The servants of the 
risen and glorified Nazarene w^nt down from Jerusalem to Antioch, 
having accomplished in quietness their benign ministry, to see the 
word of God having free course and being glorified, and ready to 
be carried to the ends of the earth in fulfillment of the "Great Com- 
mission." Through all vicissitudes and experiences, — the fall of 
the faithful, and the opposition of its enemies, — the Cause of the 
Lord goes marching on! 

190 



DIVISION III. 
WITNESSES "UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE 

EARTH." 
XIII :i— XXVIII :3i. 



DIVISION III. 
WITNESSES "UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE 
EARTH,"— XIII :i— XXVIII :3i. 

PART L— THE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS— XIII :i— XXI :i6. 

Section i. — The Testimony of Paul and Barnabas; — The First Mis- 
sionary Journey, — 13 :i 14 :28. 

Sub-section i. — The Missionary Commission, — vss. 1-3. 

1 Now there were at Antioch, in the Church that was there, prophets 
and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of 
Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 

2 And, as they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 
Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 
3 Then when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they 
sent them away. 



I. The city, — Antioch. 2. The m.en, — "Prophets and teachers." 3. Their 
ministry. 4. Their summons and consecration to a new work. 



I. The city, — Antioch, — vs. i. 

The city of Antioch was a fitting place from which to begin 
the missionary propaganda. In apostolic times it was one of the 
three great capitals of the Roman Empire, — Rome and Alexandria 
being the only other cities that surpassed it in population and riches. 
It had been founded more than three hundred years before by 
Seleucus Nicator on the banks of the Orontes, not far from the 
northeast corner of the Mediterranean and just south of the Gulf 
of Issus. It was also on the great caravan route from the Orient 
to the Occident. By land and sea, therefore, the riches of the 
world poured through the gates of the Syrian capital. With a 

193 



XIII: I] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



cosmopolitan resident population of half a million, its streets were 
crowded with an immense multitude of visitors and temporary 
sojourners of all nations, races and occupations. As Renan, in 
Les Apotres, vividly characterizes the varied throngs, "It was an 
unheard-of collection of jugglers, charlatans, pantomimists, magi- 
cians, thaumaturgists, sorcerers, and priestly impostors; a city of 
races, of games, of dances, of processions, of festivals, of baccha- 
nalia, of unchecked luxury; all the extravagances of the east, the 
most unhealthy superstitions, the fanaticism of orgies. In turns, 
servile and ungrateful, worthless and insolent, the Antiochenes were 
the finished model of those crowds devoted to Csesarism, without 
country, without nationality, without family honor, without a name 
to preserve. The great Corso which traversed the city was like a 
theater, in which all day long rolled the waves of a population, 
empty, frivolous, fickle, turbulent, sometimes witty, absorbed in 
songs, parodies, pleasantries and impertinences of every descrip- 
tion." These words of the brilliant Frenchman are quoted by 
Farrar, who also says, "Libanius could affirm, from personal experi- 
ence, that he who sat in the agora of Antioch might study the 
customs of the world." In such a city the great enterprise of 
Foreign Missions was born. 



2. The Men, — ''Prophets and teachers," — vs. i. 

The prophets of the New Testament were, for the most part, 
evangelists of the Holy Gospel. The word "prophet," in New Tes- 
tament usage, does not always signify a foreteller of future events : 
and there seems to be no valid reason for any pronounced differen- 
tiation between the prophet and the teacher of this passage, though 
the first may have been regarded as a somewhat higher office than 
the second. Five of these preachers and teachers of the Christian 
faith are mentioned in Luke's narrative. The fact that they alone 
are mentioned does not imply that they alone constituted the entire 
evangelizing force in Antioch. Rather are they named, we should 
suppose, as the chief leaders in the growing company of Gospel 
heralds. As men at the front they deserve attention and study. 
The first and last in Luke's list, Barnabas and Saul, have already 
come under our notice. (See pages 68 and loi.) 

194 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : i 



Of the other three we know little more than their names. All 
five seem to have been Jews, at least so we infer from their names. 
They were gathered together in Antioch from widely separated 
places in the Empire. Saul from Tarsus in Cilicia, Barnabas from 
Cyprus, and Lucius from Cyrene in North Africa, belonged to the 
Jews of the Dispersion. And, while we know nothing of the habitat 
of either Symeon or Manaen, we have reason to believe that both 
belonged to that section of Israel which naturally would have a 
broader outlook upon the world than their more provincial brethren. 
Niger was so called, not, probably, because he was a negro, but 
because of some close association with families in Rome, where the 
name was quite common. And Manaen, whose name in Hebrew 
was Menahem, was foster-brother of Herod the Tetrarch, or, as 
the word may signify, ''nourished at the same breast." This 
tetrarch, as would seem, was Herod Antipas : and, since we learn 
from Josephus, ''this Herod and his brother Archelaus were chil- 
dren of the same mother, — Malthace, a Samaritaness, — and after- 
wards educated together at Rome, it is probable that this Christian 
prophet or teacher had spent his early childhood with those two 
princes, who were now both banished from Palestine to the banks 
of the Rhone." Whether high-born or not, Manaen seems to have 
been brought up in the court of Herod the Great; and, like Moses 
in Egypt, was well educated, and could look beyond the narrow 
bounds of Palestine, and take far-reaching views in the history 
and development of the Church of God. 

That five such men, of widest origin and broadest sympathies, 
should have come together just at this time is a suggestive illustra- 
tion of the leadings of Divine Providence. The Lord was preparing 
the way and the leaders of His people for a mighty advance in the 
conquest of the world. 



3. Their ministry, — vs. 2a. 

The historian's words are profoundly suggestive. He plainly 
would have us understand that this "ministering to the Lord" was 
something quite distinct from the work of evangelization. By his 
use of the phrase he would emphasize the fact that the initial step 
in the foreign missionary propaganda began in prayer. This was 

195 



XIII: 2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



*'the ministering to the Lord" which now absorbed the attention of 
the Antiochian beHevers : it was a ministry of ''prayer and fasting." 
A little study of this ministry will not be unprofitable. 

(i) It was united prayer. It was something that the leaders of 
this Church, though brought from divers cities on two different 
continents, were bound together in one solemn purpose of prayer. 
But can we resist the conviction that the leaders here mentioned 
had a large and earnest following in the believing brotherhood? 
And have we not reason to believe that, as at Pentecost so here, 
the disciples were all assembled "together with one accord in one 
place." 

(2) It was a pre-arranged season of supplication. It seems to 
have been more than the regular and stated assembly of believers. 
For some special and definite purpose it had been appointed that 
the brotherhood should come together for a time of united prayer. 
The preaching of the word, for the time being, was put in the back- 
ground, while the Church girded herself for a mighty struggle be- 
fore the Mercy- Seat. 

(3) It was a season of deeply solemn and earnest waiting on 
God. Fasting was not enjoined upon the New Testament Church; 
and when believers resorted to it, it indicated an unusually solemn 
occasion and a profoundly felt necessity. So poss.essed were the 
souls of the Antioch Christians with the depth and urgency of the 
need, for which they were praying, that all desire for food and 
every temporal gratification and bodily pleasure lost their power 
over them, while they continued from day to day to urge their 
suit at the Throne of Grace. For, 

(4) It is evident that it was protracted prayer. Not during one 
sitting of the assembly alone did they continue in prayer. Their 
fasting would certainly cover more than one day : and this prayer 
of the primitive Church was probably a prolonged and agonizing 
waiting on God, in which believers would take pattern after, and 
courage from, the Pentecostal experience of the earlier day. 

This was the ministry in Antioch of which Luke speaks. What 
did it mean? What so stirred the souls of the Antioch Christians? 
We are not told. Is it difficult to conjecture? The Church was 
planted in the midst of a great heathen city. She had had a won- 
derful career of triumph; but there is abundant reason to believe 
that multitudes were yet unevangelized. And, besides the natives 

I §6 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : 2-3 



and residents of the city, its streets and boulevards, and especially 
its gigantic Corso and infamous Grove of Daphne, were thronged 
by vast multitudes of visitors, — myriads on myriads, — from every 
race and nation under heaven, lovers of money and lovers of pleas- 
ure in countless thousands. As believers encountered and observed 
these thronging multitudes, their hearts could not but have been 
moved with compassion upon them. And were they not certain to 
look beyond these tired faces, whom they saw with bodily eyes, to 
the innumerable company which, in vision, stretched out from this 
pagan city over the nations to the end of the world? And could 
they fail to reason, — "Who shall save these perishing nations? 
The Gospel came to us ; should it not also go to them ? Our 
brethren brought us the good news ; ought we not to carry it to 
the people beyond, who still sit in darkness and in the region and 
shadow of death?" 

And, as they reasoned and questioned, day by day the problem 
pressed for solution, till at last the burden became too heavy for 
them, and of necessity they must bring it to lay before their Di- 
vine Lord. "He had said to His disciples, Go ye and make disciples 
of all nations. Did He mean us? Would He have us go? Let 
us ask counsel of the Lord." It is all but absolutely certain that 
this is the correct explanation of these days of fasting and prayer 
in the Church of Antioch. This was the end of "the ministering 
to the Lord" to which they had given themselves. 



4. Their summons and consecration to a new work, — vss. 2h-^. 

While they waited on the Lord, the Spirit's message came, — 
"Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have 
called them." This Divine answer to their supplications may not 
have been what they expected. They were not told what specific 
work was appointed to the designated witnesses. The Holy Spirit 
was doing more than simply inaugurating the work of Foreign 
Missions. He was Himself taking the great enterprise in hand: 
and Himself proposed to lead forth the Gospel Heralds in their 
evangelistic tours. 

It was a trial of the faith of these praying Christians that they 
were at once summoned to give up, if not their best, certainly 

197 



XIII: 2-3] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



their most prominent, men to an unknown work. And doubtless 
there were some in Antioch whose first thought was to wonder at, 
if not question, the wisdom of sending away their ablest and most 
efficient workers, while there was so much work yet to be done in 
evangelizing the great city where they were assembled together. 
Yet in this the Lord was working like Himself. When our hearts 
are truly and earnestly set on the evangelization of the world, we 
may expect the Lord's summons to surrender our best beloved to 
the great cause. 

It is to the honor of the noble Church of Antioch that they 
promptly responded to the call for their best in an unknown enter- 
prise. Without hesitation or murmur, with fasting and prayer, 
they laid their hands on Barnabas and Saul, ordaining them to the 
high and holy cause of missions to all heathen peoples; and so 
"sent them away." It is worth while to think how much is com- 
prehended in this expression. While primitive missions were, in a 
measure, self-supporting, we can hardly doubt that the Church at 
Antioch shared with Barnabas and Saul the cost of their outfit and 
travel. In later days the Christian communities established by the 
missionaries cared for the itinerating evangelists, because, as John 
says (iii Jno. 7), "For the sake of the Name they went forth, taking 
nothing of the Gentiles." But in the outstart the heralds of the 
cross had but two sources of support, — the gifts of their brethren, 
and the labor of their own hands. And SO "they sent them away." 



Verse 2. Prayer and Missions are ever indissolubly bound together. — 
Vs. 2b. God wants our best for the foreign work. The unfinished work at 
home is no excuse for neglecting the work abroad. 

Vss. 1-3. A Missionary Church. 

I. Awake to her opportunities. 

II. Truly concerned for the heathen. 

III. Going to the only Source of wisdom. ^ 

IV. Ready to give her best for the service. 
V. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit. 

VI. Following providential leadings. 

198 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIH : 4 



Vs. 2. Planning a Campaign. 

I. Getting ourselves right should be the first burden of all earnest workers. 
II. Our minds must take in the special needs of those outside and around 
us. 

III. The Holy Spirit must have an important place in our enlarging schemes. 

IV. Unexpected sacrifices will be required of us as we seek the enlargement 

of the Kingdom. 

Sub-section 2. — In Cyprus, — vss. 4-12. 

4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia; 
and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 

5 And when they were at Salamis they proclaimed the word of God 
in the synagogues of the Jews; and they had also John as their attendant. 

6 And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they 
found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus ; 
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. 
The same called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word 
of God. 8 But Elymas, the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation), 
withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith. 9 But 
Saul, who is also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fastened his eyes 
on him, 10 and said, O full of all guile and all villainy, thou son of the devil, 
thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right 
ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, 
and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately 
there fell on him a mist and a darkness ; and he went about seeking some 
to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul, when he saw what was 
done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. 



I. Going to Cyprus, — vs. 4. 2. Incidents in Cyprus, — vss. 5-12; — (i) Preach- 
ing in Salamis, — vs. 5; — (2) Preaching at Paphos, — vs. 7; — (3) The 
proconsul and Saul's new name, — vss. 8-9; — (4) Elymas, the sorcerer, — 
vss. Q-12. 



I. Going to Cyprus, — vs. 4. 

The thoughtful student of Luke's narrative can hardly resist 
the inquiry, Why did these first Foreign Missionaries go to Cyprus ? 
The historian says, indeed, that they were sent forth not only by 
the Church, but also by the Holy Spirit. But it may admit of 

199 



XIII: 4] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



question whether under the circumstances this means anything 
more than that they were divinely guided in the exercise of their 
own best judgment as to how and where they should begin the 
fulfilment of their missionary commission. Paul and his com- 
panions, at a later date, were sent from Asia over into Europe 
through the vision of the man of Macedonia ; but the history gives 
us no other instance, except those of that second missionary journey, 
of the manifest intervention of the Divine Hand guiding the itiner- 
ating evangelists to their fields of labor. They were left, for the 
most part, to providential circumstances and leadings in their 
going hither and thither. If it was so in this instance, why did 
Barnabas and Saul choose to go to the Island of Cyprus ? 

And the question merges into another and larger inquiry, — Why 
went these heralds of the great Evangel to the west rather than 
to the east? And while we wonder and ponder the question we 
cannot answer, more clearly in vision we see the Divine and Gracious 
Head of His Church not merely "Standing now within the shadow, 
keeping watch above His own," but actively directing the evange- 
lizing forces, as they march to the redemption of the world by 
way of the Occident rather than the Orient. We sometimes wonder 
what would have been the result if the mightiest forces of the mis- 
sionary propaganda had gone first eastward to India, China and 
Japan, reaching our own country by way of the Pacific, w^hile we 
were made light-bearers to the European world. But we feel sure 
a Divine Hand guided the saving movement in a better way. The 
world is thus ever "rolling into the light," and while the poet sings, 

"Westward the course of empire takes its way," 

we are certain that the throne follows the cross, and the stablest 
earthly empires grow in the light of the Holy Evangel. 

Recurring to the more specific question. Why went the apostles 
to Cyprus, and recalling our conviction that their movements were 
not in this instance determined by any voice directly from the 
skies, a number of considerations throw light on the question. 
They might have reached the ultimate destination of this first mis- 
sionary journey in a much shorter way by crossing the Taurian 
Mountains on the caravan road from Antioch to the ^gean Sea. 
Saul had visited this region of "Syria and Cilicia" before, and he 
did so again in his second missionary journey. Why not go this 

200 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : 4 



way now? It is a plausible conjecture that, just at this time, as 
often before and perhaps later, the great highway had been ren- 
dered unsafe by numerous bands of highway robbers, who, while 
they would not dare to attack a large caravan, would make short 
work with a small and unarmed company; and a caravan may not 
have been just then available. 

The sea was safer. And especially so was it at this time, for 
Pompey had recently cleared the entire Mediterranean of the pirates 
and corsairs who had long preyed upon the commerce of those 
historic waters. It was natural, therefore, for the missionaries to 
follow the ordinary and safe lines of commercial travel. And so 
they "went down to Seleucia, and from thence they sailed to 
Cyprus." 

It is another consideration that Cyprus was the home of Barna- 
bas : and he seems to have been a man of some wealth and promi- 
nence, though we are left in doubt whether his property was in 
Cyprus or Jerusalem. We cannot say, indeed, that the fact that 
the island was the home of Barnabas was a determining factor in 
their thus going forth, because the same consideration might have 
led the missionaries to Tarsus, which was Saul's native city. But 
there were many Jews in Cyprus; and this may have been the 
chief reason why they made their way thither first of all, for, while 
they were ordained to the work of Foreign Missions, they were ever 
mindful to carry the good news first to the Jews, and then to the 
Gentiles. 



Verse 2. How the Church best sends forth her laborers. — Vs. 4. The 
sending forth by a praying Church in obedience to a Divine command is a 
sending forth by the Holy Spirit. — Vs. 4b. The Master expects us to use 
our common sense, and follow providential leadings, in choosing our fields 
of labor. 



2. Incidents in Cyprus, — vss. 5-12. 

A sail of one hundred miles to the southwest brought the 
apostles to the scenes of their first evangelistic labors. These 
began with, 

(i) The preaching in Salamis. This city, one of large size, 

201 



XIII: 5-12] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



lying on the southeast coast of the island, was, in apostolic times, 
the capital city of Cyprus, and a commercial emporium of no little 
importance. It was also the home of a large number of Jews. 
They had here a number of synagogues. It is not unlikely that 
this was the native-place of Barnabas, and possibly of John Mark, 
now an attendant on Barnabas and Saul. We wonder, too, if it 
may not have been the home of Mnason, an early and wealthy 
disciple, who had a house also in Jerusalem, and with whom Paul 
and his companions were to lodge, during his final visit to the 
Holy City. The Gospel had won some of its earliest triumphs in 
Cyprus, perhaps in Salamis; and we cannot forget that men of 
Cyprus, as well as of Cyrene, were the first to preach the Gospel 
in Antioch. They had freely given ; it was but fair that they should 
freely receive : and so the first ordained Foreign Missionaries 
preached the word of God first of all in the synagogues of Salamis 
to their own kindred of the Jewish race, and possibly to their 
nearer kinsfolk and relatives. 

How long they remained in Salamis, and what success attended 
their ministry, we are not told. It seems probable that their stay 
was short. The seed of the Gospel had been already planted in 
Salamis; and, as these evangelists did not wish to build on other 
men's foundations (for so the apostle had determined), they prob- 
ably hurried on over the one hundred miles through the whole 
island. Taking advantage of the excellent military road, which, 
as was her custom all over the Empire, Rome had built, connecting 
the two principal seaports of the island, they soon came down to 
Paphos, lying on the southwest coast. 

(2) The preaching at Paphos. In this proconsular city of 
Cyprus the witnesses for the Nazarene confronted entirely differ- 
ent problems from those they had met at Salamis. Their message 
there was chiefly to the Jews; here they were in a heathen city. 
And their work here was eminently the work of foreign missions. 
Paphos was the center and home of the licentious worship of Venus 
Anadyomene, or Aphrodite, — the goddess fabled to have been born 
of the sea. "One of the Homeridse sings that the moist-blowing 
west wind wafted her in soft foam along the waves of the sea, and 
that the gold-filleted Seasons received her on the shores of Cyprus, 
clothed her in immortal garments, placed a golden wreath on her 
head, rin^s of orichalcum and gold in her pierced ears, and golden 

202 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : 5-12 



chains about her neck; and then led her to the assembly of the 
immortals, every one of whom admired, saluted, and loved her; 
and each god desired her for his spouse." — (Anthon.) 

The new Paphos, which Barnabas and Saul visited, was about 
ten miles from the old town and original home of these idolatrous 
rites; but even in their day the road between the two places was 
often filled with gay and profligate processions ; and strangers from 
distant places visited and worshipped at this lascivious shrine. How 
much Barnabas and Saul came in contact with this vile heathenism 
Luke does not say. His narrative dwells upon another episode in 
the experiences of the travelers. 

(3) The proconsul, and Saul's new name. Sergius Paulus was 
a Roman officer apparently of a superior class, not only in official 
station but also in character. Luke says he was "a man of under- 
standing." Just what this means is not clear. It seems to imply 
that, though he was surrounded by the devotees of an impure wor- 
ship, his mind was set on higher things. The problems of life and 
destiny in all probability engaged his attention first of all. And 
this explains the presence in his proconsular court of the sorcerer 
Bar- Jesus, or, as he probably styled himself, ''Elymas the Magian." 
Having no knowledge of the true God, and in total blindness as to 
the way of life, and without hope or belief in a future state, like 
many wise men of his generation, Sergius Paulus turned even to 
magicians and soothsayers for light and comfort as he looked upon 
the sorrows of life and the gloom of the grave. 

He was groping for the light ; and, when he heard of the mission- 
aries, and some rumor of the tidings they brought, he sent for them, 
if perchance he might hear something which should satisfy the 
cravings of his higher nature. He "sought to hear the word of 
God." He heard, — accepted the truth, — believed, — and was saved 
by the Messiah-Saviour, whom Barnabas and Saul proclaimed. 

It was a great triumph for the missionaries of the Cross. And 
Saul, who seemed to be chiefly instrumental in the attainment of 
this victory in the conversion of Sergius Paulus, was henceforth 
called Paul, as would seem, in commemoration of this remarkable 
event. There are, indeed, other explanations of this new name 
of the apostle to the Gentiles; but none seems to be as satisfying 
as this one. It must be remembered that here in Paphos, for the 
first time, the apostles are permitted to preach the glad tidings to a 

203 



XIII : 9-12] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



heathen man of high character, prominent in official station, and 
an honored officer of the Roman army, — that Saul was here, as 
later at Lystra, the "chief speaker," — and that so cogent was his 
reasoning and persuasive his presentation of the claims of Jesus 
of Nazareth, that the governor of a Roman province was led to 
accept the Divine Saviour whom Paul preached. It was eminently 
fitting that the apostle should commemorate such a victory, pledge 
of mightier ones to come, by assuming a new name. What more 
appropriate name than that of the Roman Proconsul? Paulus 
means little; and by assuming it the apostle would remind himself 
perpetually of his personal insignificance, while the event com- 
memorated would ever encourage him to believe that, in the vast 
and difficult work of evangelizing the Empire, his gracious Master 
could and would make powerful and efficient use of the feeblest 
instrumentalities. So Paul is to be his name henceforward. And, 
from this time forth, he steps to the front as the leader of the 
missionary deputation. Heretofore it had been "Barnabas and 
Saul," hence-onward it shall be "Paul and Barnabas." 



4. Elymas, the Sorcerer, — vss. 

The victory at Paphos was not won without a battle. Bar- 
Jesus, the sorcerer, withstood the missionaries, and "sought to 
turn aside the proconsul from the faith." He saw at once that all 
his lying pretensions, and divinations, and sham insight of the 
future would go down in ignominious wreck before the forces of 
truth. And so he set himself in opposition to the evangelists, and 
sought to destroy their benign work in its very incipiency. He did 
not, like Simon Magus, at first hypocritically accept the new teach- 
ing; but from the very beginning he assumed an attitude of 
uncompromising hostility. 

But he soon found himself fighting not alone against the humble 
missionaries from Antioch, but the mighty God of their fathers, 
and His risen and exalted Son Jesus Christ. Elymas the Magian, 
like Simon the Magian, may not have known anything of Christ; 
but the one, as truly as the other, knew that he was a fraud, and 
that he was trading on the superstitions of the people, and even 

204 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH 'XHI : 9-12 

making havoc of the most earnest upreachings of benighted souls. 
And both deserved the severity with which they were handled by 
the servants of God. The words of the apostle to the sorcerer of 
Paphos were terrific, — the withering and scorching denunciation of 
a righteous indignation : and the judgment of God was condign and 
instantaneous, though tempered with mercy in that his punishment 
was but for a season. Most powerfully does Raphael's cartoon 
portray the proud adversary, so suddenly and terribly stricken, in 
his blindness groping through the mist and darkness, as he "went 
about seeking some to lead him by the hand." 

"Then the proconsul, when he saw what was done, beheved," — 
his faith confirmed by this miraculous attestation of the mission of 
the Gospel messengers, — and, more than ever, was "astonished at 
the teaching of the Lord." 



Verse 5. Our kindred have a special claim on us for the Gospel. "Go 
home to thy friends, etc.," the Lord said to one whom He had healed. — 
Vs. 5b. God's ancient people v/ere to have the first offer of the Gospel. — 
Vs. 7. Sergius Paulus was "a man of understanding." Blessed they who 
look beneath the lies and shams of a deceitful world. — Vs. 8. Renegades and 
apostates are the worst enemies of the Gospel. The sin of turning inquirers 
from the faith. Jeroboam is pilloried by the Divine Spirit in eternal infamy, 
because he not only sinned, but also "made Israel to sin." — Vs. 9. Com- 
memorating victories by change of name, — Jacob-Israel, — Saul-Paul. It was 
Paulus, not Magnus, that caught the apostle's notice. — Vs 10, Righteous 
wrath and terrific words are sometimes justly used in dealing with high- 
handed evil-doers. — Vs. 12. A miracle may be fitted to arrest attention; but 
a true convert is more likely to be amazed by the doctrines of the Gospel. 
He will be glad to sing the wonders of redeeming love ! 

Vss. 6-12. The Conversion of Sergius. 

I. The history, character and position of the man. 
II. His deeper longings. 

III. The work of the Word with him. — (Gerberding, Rev. G. H.) 

Sub-section 3. — At Antioch in Pisidia, — vss. 13-52. 

13 Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga 
in Pamphylia : and John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem. 
14 But they, passing through from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia; and 



205 



XIII: 13-52] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



they went into the synagogue on the sabbath-day, and sat down. 15 And, 
after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue 
sent unto them, saying, Brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for 
the people, say on. 

The History. 

16 And Paul stood up, and, beckoning with the hand, said. Men of Israel, 
and ye that fear God, hearken: 17 The God of this people Israel chose our 
fathers, and exalted the people when they sojourned in the land of Egypt, 
and with a high arm led He them forth out of it. 18 And for about the 
time of forty years as a nursing father bare He them in the wilderness. 
19 And when He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He 
gave them their land for an inheritance, for about four hundred and fifty 
years: 20 and after these things He gave them judges until Samuel the 
prophet. 21 And afterward they asked for a king: and God gave unto them 
Saul, the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for the space of 
forty years. 22 And when He had removed him. He raised up David to be 
their king; to whom also He bare witness and said, I have found David, the 
son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who shall do all my will. 

The Argument. 

23 Of this man's seed hath God according to promise brought unto 
Israel a Saviour, Jesus; 24 when John had first preached before His coming 
the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And, as John was 
fulfilling his course, he said, What suppose ye that I am? I am not He. 
But behold, there cometh one after me the shoes of whose feet I am not 
worthy to unloose. 26 Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and 
those among you that fear God, to us is the word of this salvation sent 
forth. 27 For they that dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they 
knew Him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, 
fulfilled them by condemning Him. 28 And, though they found no cause of 
death in Him, yet asked they Pilate that He should be slain. 29 And when 
they had fulfilled all things that were written of Him, they took Him down 
from the tree, and laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God raised Him from the 
dead : 31 and He was seen for many days of them that came up with Him 
from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people. 32 And 
we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers, 33 that God 
hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that He raised up Jesus ; as also 
it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten 
Thee. 34 And, as concerning that He raised Him up from the dead, now no 
more to return to corruption. He hath spoken on this wise, I will give you 
the holy and sure blessings of David. 35 Because He hath said also in an- 
other psalm, Thou wilt not give Thy Holy One to see corruption, 36 For 
David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell 
asleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption : 37 but He whom 
God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Be it known unto you, therefore, 
brethren, that through this man is proclaimed unto you remission of sins : 

206 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : 13-14 



39 and by Him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from 
which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, 
lest that come upon you which is spoken in the prophets: 41 Behold, ye 
despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work 
which ye shall in no wise believe if one declare it unto you. 

The Result. 

42 And, as they went out, they besought that these words might be 
spoken to them the next Sabbath. 43 Now, when the synagogue broke up, 
many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, 
who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 And 
the next Sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the 
word of God. 45 But, when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled 
with jealousy, and contradicted the things which were spoken by Paul, and 
blasphemed. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly, and said. It was 
necessary that the word of God should first be spoken to you. Seeing ye 
thrust it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn 
to the Gentiles. 47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set 
Thee for a light to the Gentiles, and that Thou shouldst be for salvation 
unto the uttermost part of the earth. 48 And, as the Gentiles heard this, they 
were glad, and glorified the word of God : and as many as were ordained to 
eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spread abroad 
throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews urged on the devout women of 
honorable estate, and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution 
against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their borders. 51 But they 
shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. 52 And 
the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Spirit. 



I. The journey to Pisidian Antioch, — vss. 13-14. 2. Paul's sermon in the 
synagogue, — vss. 16-41; — (i) The History, — 16-22; — (2) The Argument, 
— 23-41. 3. The effect of the sermon, — vss. 42-52. 



I. The journey to Pisidian Antioch, — vss. 13-14. 

From the island of Cyprus the missionaries returned to conti- 
nental shore. To the question w^hy they went from Paphos to 
Perga, the obvious answer is, They were following the usual lines 
of commercial travel. The trade of the Mediterranean was largely 
a coastwise commerce: but no interchange of commodities could 
leave out the important island of Cyprus; and so sailing vessels 

207 



XIII:i6-4i] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



were frequently passing from shore to island, and from island to 
shore. By one of these the apostles came to Pamphylia. Why 
Paul and Barnabas hastened away from this maritime province, 
and from the seacoast cities of Perga, Attalia and others, seems 
at first thought inexplicable. It is happily conjectured that the 
missionaries reached Pamphylia in the late spring or early summer. 
This is highly probable if they began their missionary journey 
with the opening of navigation after the winter was over and gone. 
And, if so, they would find the people, following a custom still in 
vogue along this semi-tropical coast, leaving their hot and uncom- 
fortable homes for a summer sojourn among the mountains and 
elevated regions between Pisidia and Phrygia. So, accompanying 
the people, and evangelizing as they went, the heralds of the King 
would come out at last upon the elevated tablelands of Pisidia, and 
soon find their way to Antioch. 

This Antioch was the central city of this part of Asia Minor. 
More military roads diverged from this center to all points of the 
compass than from any other city of the Orient. It was also on 
the great central route from east to west along which passed the 
numerous and richly laden caravans of commerce. If here, as in 
Corinth at a later day, Paul was obliged to support himself by the 
labor of his own hands, he could not have chosen any better place 
for working at his trade. Tent-making would be in demand; and 
Paul and Barnabas could here support themselves through the 
week, and on the sabbath day preach the Gospel. So they came to 
Antioch, and in due time found their way to the House of God. 



Verse 13. On John's return to Jerusalem see The Contention, 15:36-40, 
page 243. The evangelization of the world must go forward, even if some, 
from whatever motive, turn back. — Ys. 14. Opportunities for service will 
come to those who put themselves in the way of them. — Vs. 14. Strangers 
in the city will find friends in the House of God. 



2. Paul's sermon in the synagogue, — vss. 16-41. 

Luke's brief narrative paints for us a very charming picture of 
this scene. On some Saturday, — a memorable summer day, — two 
strangers are found seated in the synagogue of the Dispersion in 

208 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : 16-41 



this provincial capital. There was something about the men that 
arrested attention. The great-minded, and perhaps great-bodied, 
Barnabas, and Paulus the little, would be men of mark in any- 
assembly. Perhaps they were known to be men employed in some 
tent-making factory, who had knocked off work on the seventh 
day that they might worship the God of their fathers in the syna- 
gogue of their unknown brethren. And now they are seated 
among them, men of dignified mien, grave and reverent in demeanor, 
listening to the reading of the law and the prophets. Such men 
must have a message worth hearing, is the thought of the rulers, 
let us attend to them. And with this hope in mind the officers of 
the congregation invited them to speak. 

Then Paul stood up, and, beckoning with the hand to bespeak 
their silent attention, addressed his racial kindred in terms of 
exquisite courtesy and profound respect, — ''Men of Israel, and ye 
that fear God, hearken." 

An analysis of the sermon that follows, — the first one of Paul's 
of which the historian gives us anything like a full summary, — 
discloses the fact that in the main it consists of a historical intro- 
duction and an expository argument. 

(i) The History. This part of the address, embracing but six 
verses (17-22), is quite brief: and in it Paul is thought to have 
taken pattern after Stephen's great apology before the Sanhedrin, 
which probably Paul heard as a young member of that Supreme 
Court of his people. A close examination, however, will show that 
Paul was no mere copyist of the proto-martyr, and that there is 
really little that is common to these first parts of the two great 
sermons. In two points alone the one resembles the other: — both 
rehearse a supernatural history; and both speakers have the same 
object in view, — Stephen to conciliate his judges, if that were pos- 
sible, and Paul to win the favorable attention of his brethren to his 
testimony for Jesus of Nazareth. Stephen begins with the call of 
Abraham, and Paul with the Exodus from Egypt. The proto- 
martyr's rehearsal reaches across the centuries to Solomon: Paul's 
briefer story stops with David, the shepherd-king, and man "after 
God's own heart," whose promised seed was the Saviour-Jesus, 
the Nazarene. 

The story was one which the Jews of the Dispersion would hear 
with as earnest and profound attention as the prejudiced Court in 

209 



XIII:i6-4i] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Jerusalem. And now, while they are marveling at the wonderful 
history, and admiring the stranger's charming rehearsal, the apostle 
with admirable rhetorical skill brings before them his testimony 
to the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth. 

(2) The Argument. In this part of his address Paul empha- 
sizes two noble and pregnant lines of thought. Luke gives them 
in a subsequent paragraph, as a summary of the apostle's address 
at Thessalonica, where he says (17:2-3), 'Taul, as his custom was, 
went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them 
from the Scriptures, opening and alleging that it behooved the 
Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this 
Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ." These 
two thoughts evidently formed the staple of Paul's preaching every- 
where in the synagogues ; and what he said in exposition of them 
Luke here records somewhat in detail, because it was probably the 
apostle's first great sermon in his missionary journeys. 

The two important lines of thought were these, viz. — (a) The 
Messiah whom they had been promised, according to their own 
Scriptures, was to be a suffering Messiah; — and (2) Jesus of Naza- 
reth fulfilled all the conditions of the prophetic records, and had 
an irrefutable claim to be regarded and honored as that Messiah. 
These two points Paul elaborates with great clearness and cogency 
in this address to the children of the Dispersion. 

This is the course of his argument; viz. — (a) The promise made 
to the fathers was the promise of a Saviour, and not merely that 
of a national ruler (vs. 23). (b) This Saviour had been pre-an- 
nounced and heralded by John the Baptist (vss. 24-25). (c) This 
Saviour had not been recognized by their rulers in Jerusalem ; and, 
because of their blindness, and ignorance of their own Scriptures, 
they had crucified and slain Him (vss. 27-29). (d) But God 
had raised Him from the dead ; and He had been seen during many 
days by His Galilean followers, who had gone up w^th Him on that 
memorable journey to the Cross (vs. 31). (e) These, Paul assures 
his brethren, were the "glad tidings," and the fulfilment of the 
ages-old promise; and this is certified to us both by the living wit- 
nesses, and by their own Sacred Writings. 

The Scriptures, which Paul quotes in vss. 33-37, are conclusive 
as to his first point, — that the Christ was to suffer and to die. His 
second point, — that Jesus of Nazareth was that Messiah, the 

210 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : 16-41 



Christ, — depends absolutely upon the testimony of the witnesses of 
the resurrection. For, if He rose from the dead, then was He 
indeed the promised Messiah and the Divine Saviour. As Paul 
afterwards wrote to the Romans, so he teaches here, the Lord 
Christ "was declared to be the Son of God with power according 
to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead." And 
this resurrection is certified to us by the chosen and irrefutable 
witnesses. 

On the basis of this testimony the apostle, in closing, dwells 
upon the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel (vss. 38-39) ; and 
ends his wonderful sermon with an earnest and affectionate warn- 
ing of awful solemnity, coming as the preternatural voice of au- 
thority and power out of the very depths of those Scriptures in 
which they themselves professed to believe. (Vss. 40-41.) 



Verse 16. God will send tidings of salvation to those who reverently 
wait on Him. — Vs. 17. It is good to be reminded of our low estate, and of 
the years of the right hand of the Most High. — ^Vs. 18. God is the "nursing 
father" to His people. — Vss. 24-25. God is ever mindful of His promise: 
The mission of the Forerunner. — Vs. 27. Blindness to the meaning of Scrip- 
ture is a fearful judgment from God. — Vs. 28. God uses the wicked acts of 
sinful men to accomplish His holy purposes. — Vs. 33. The fullness of Old 
Testament Scripture in the light of New Testament exposition. — ^Vss. 38-39. 
Remission of sins and complete justification come to us through the crucified 
and risen Redeemer. — Vs. 40. Tender warnings properly follow a full and 
free offer of the great salvation. 



I. The deliverance from bondage. 

II. The guidance through the wilderness. 

III. The help in the conquest of Canaan. 

IV. The mercy and wrath through the judges. 
V. The establishment of the monarchy. 



Vss. 17-21. Paul's Epitome of Israel's History. 



Vs. 22. A Man After God's Own Heart. 



I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 



Faithful in the general tenor of his way. 
May under temptation grievously sin. 
Will sincerely repent and turn to God. 
Will ever sing Jehovah's praise. 



211 



XIII: 42-52] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



♦ Vs. 26. The Message of the Gospel. 

I. It is the word of salvation. 
II. It is, first of all, for the children of the covenant. 

Vss. 28-31. Paul's Summary of the Gospel. 

I. Jesus of Nazareth adjudged to death. 

II. He was crucified, dead, and buried. 

III. His resurrection from the dead. 

IV. Attested by many competent witnesses. 

Vs. 36. The Right Kind of a Life. 

I. It is a life of service. 

II. It is a service of our own generation. 

III. It is a service in accordance with the will of God. 

IV. It is a service followed by rest. 

Vs. 38. The Forgiveness of Sin. 

I. It is forgiveness by God. 

II. It is forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ. 

III. It is forgiveness realized by the believer. 

IV. It is forgiveness exemplified by the Christian. — (The Homilist.) 



3. The effect of the sermon, — vss. 42-52. 

As at Pentecost (2:43-47), a secies of great things made those 
weeks in Antioch ever memorable, (i) There were "great search- 
ings of hearts," and the congregation wus divided into two parties. 
(2) There was great hungering for the word of life on the part 
of believers. (3) There was great interest in the tidings brought 
by Paul and Barnabas. (4) There was great opposition on the 
part of the unbelieving Jews. (5) Great boldness of spirit char- 
acterized the missionaries. (6) A great triumph of the truth in 
Antioch, and the region round about, was a natural result. (7) A 
great persecution immediately followed. (8) And through it all 
great joy in the Lord pervaded the hearts of the brotherhood of 
believers. 



212 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XHI : 36-52 



Verse 42. Saving hearing of the Gospel begets an insatiable hunger and 
thirst for the Gospel. And what we so long for ourselves we will desire 
other people to share. — Vs. 44. When God's people are full of blessing the 
world will crowd to share the glad tidings. — Vs. 45. The spirit of envy and 
jealousy is a Satanic spirit; it will neither accept the Gospel itself, nor suf- 
fer others to do so. — Vs. 46. If one fails of salvation, it will not be because 
it was not sincerely offered to him, but because he "judged himself unworthy 
of eternal life." — Vss. 46-47. This was apparently the apostle's first formal 
proclamation of his commission to the Gentiles. — Vs. 48. The Gospel fits 
the facts. Some disbelieve; they judge themselves unworthy of eternal life: 
others believe and accept the glad tidings ; mercy to them is from everlasting 
to everlasting. The Scripture method of stating the truth does not alter the 
facts. They who disbelieve have no one to blame but themselves ; they who 
believe cannot justly claim any credit for their salvation. — ^Vs. 49. The sin- 
cere acceptance of the Gospel leads to earnest efforts to spread it far and 
wide. — ^Vs. 50. The enlistment of women in an evil cause is a master-stroke 
of the Evil One. — Vs. 51. The departure of a rejected messenger of Jesus 
Christ is full of an infinite sadness. — Vs. 52. There is a vital connection 
between the fullness of the Spirit and the fullness of joy. 



Vs. 36. Useful Living and Happy Dying. 

I. Useful living. 

1. The object of the service. 

2. The method of the service. 
II. Happy dying. 

1. A useful life does not exempt us from death. 

2. A useful life modifies the character of death. — (The Homilisf.) 



Vs. 38. The Forgiveness of Sins. 



real 

personal 
reconciling 
fruitful 
repeated 



experience 



At the foot of the Cross. — (Clow, Rev. W. M.) 



Vss. 38-39. Divine Forgiveness 

I. The great want of humanity. 

II. Supplied through Jesus Christ. 

III. In connection with true faith. 

IV. To the greatest sinners. — {The Homilisf.) 



213 



XIV: I] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 46. Phases of the Gospel. 



I. 

II. 
III. 



Offered by a Divine Plan. 
Rejected by an unbelieving people. 
Promoted by earnest men. — {The Homilist.) 



I. 

II. 
III. 



Vss. 46-48. The Gentiles Receive the Gospel. 

The necessity to which Paul was reduced. 

The authority under which he acted. 

The success he obtained. — Simeon (Horce Homileticcs) . 



Vs. 52. Spiritual Experience. 



I. The text records an experience, spiritual, real, and exemplary. 
II. The degree and measure of this experience deserve consideration. 
III. The attainment of like experience can never be deemed impossible. 

{The Homilist.) 

Sub-section 4. — At Iconium, — 14:1-7. 

1 And it came to pass in Iconium that they entered together into the 
synagogue of the Jews, and so spake that a great multitude, both of Jews 
and of Greeks, believed. 

2 But the Jews that were disobedient stirred up the souls of the Gentiles, 
and made them evil affected against the brethren. 

3 Long time, therefore, they tarried there, speaking boldly in the Lord, 
who bare witness unto the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders 
to be done by their hands. 4 But the multitude of the city was divided; and 
part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles. 

5 And when there was made an onset, both of the Gentiles and of the 
Jews with their rulers, to treat them shamefully and to stone them, 6 they 
became aware of it, and fled unto the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, 
and the region round about : 7 and there they preached the Gospel. 



I. Fruitful preaching, — vs. i. 2. Growing opposition, — vs. 2. 3. The align- 
ment of forces, — vss. 3-4. 4. The escape from the storm, — vss. 5-7. 



Rejected by Antioch, Paul and Barnabas went to Iconium. They 
reached this city by a journey to the southeast of sixty miles. Their 
way probably led them along near the base of the Paroreian range 
of mountains, and across a bleak and comparatively desolate plain 



I. Fruitful preaching, — vs. i 



214 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIV: i 



to "the green oasis on which stands the city of Iconium," known 
on our modern maps as Koniyeh. In the later history the city 
became famous as the seat of the last of the four Suljukian Sul- 
tanates of the Mohammedan power, and the place where the Ot- 
toman Empire had its origin. Some legends of the apostolic age are 
also connected with Iconium. Notably the story of Thekla, the 
maiden friend of Paul, is associated with this city, which was the 
place of her birth. The story is very ancient; and, while much 
of it is no doubt apocryphal, there may be a substratum of truth 
in it. Thekla, converted here in Iconium, may have subsequently 
come to be one of the women who, like Euodia and Synteche, 
''labored with Paul in the Gospel." 

But to Paul and Barnabas the city had no historic associa- 
tions; and their chief interest and concern were with their fellow- 
countrymen, and the synagogue in which they worshipped. Thither 
they found their way; and here, in Luke's expressive language, 
they "so spake that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks 
believed." Another illustration of the widespread preparation 
which Divine Providence had made for the missionary propaganda, 
the evangelists found here not only a synagogue in which to pro- 
claim the glad tidings, but also a people, who, with uplifted eyes, 
were looking for the light, and in the darkness were groping after 
God. 

But Luke's words seem to imply that there was something in 
the apostles' spirit, or manner, or method, specially fitted to in- 
form, persuade and move these seekers after God; and the result 
was the conversion of a large number. What it was that gave the 
message such unwonted power Luke does not say. A deeper 
sense of their need on the part of those who heard, and a pro- 
founder conception of the truth, — a clearer statement of the only 
and gracious way, — a mightier infilling of the Spirit, — and a tender, 
yearning and persuasive pleading with men to forsake their sins 
and turn to God, through faith in the risen Christ; — these must 
have been some of the elements of power in the missionaries' pres- 
entation of the Gospel. And therefore many were persuaded to 
believe. . 

Verse i. The house of worship in its relations to the preaching of the 
Gospel. — Vs. I. The Gospel is a message to people of all nations and races. 
— Vs. I. Much preaching is not followed by believing: why? 

215 



XIV: 2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. I. Preaching and Believing. 

I. Preaching must have to do with fundamental truth. 

II. It must be accompanied b}^ earnest and believing prayer. 

III. It must be with authority, — faithful and persuasive. 

IV. It must press for an immediate decision for Christ. 



2. Growing opposition, — vs. 2. 

As at Antioch, the people of Iconium soon divided into tv^o 
parties. Some believed the Gospel, accepted Jesus of Nazareth as 
their Divine and risen Redeemer, and allied themselves with His 
chosen witnesses. Others rejected their testimony, and set them- 
selves in opposition to the truth. The leaders of this party were 
unbelieving and disobedient Jews, who stirred up even the Gentiles, 
"and made them evil affected against the brethren." The ground of 
this opposition to the Gospel on the part of the Jews is not far to 
seek. It was probably manifested in a denial of the two great 
topics of the evangelists' preaching. They would not consent to 
Paul's interpretation of their Scriptures of the Old Testament, 
which found in them the revelation of a "suffering Messiah," nor 
would they accept the testimony that Jesus of Nazareth was that 
"suffering Messiah." We can easily understand the strength of 
this position of the unbelieving Jewish leaders with their own 
countrymen. 

But what hold had they upon their Gentile neighbors? How 
could they stir up their souls against the messengers of life? The 
answer to these questions at first sight is not clear. A little further 
reflection will perhaps lead us to believe that the difficulty with 
the unbelieving Gentiles would be "the intolerance of the Gospel." 
The heralds of the Cross proclaimed a full and free salvation 
through Jesus of Nazareth, and summoned the people to repentance 
and faith in Him. But by the terms of their commission they were 
obliged to say also, There is no other way; "Neither is there any 
other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we 
must be saved." With the Gentiles, therefore, the acceptance of 
the overtures of the herald-messengers required the abandonment 
of idolatry, and their turning from "these vain things unto a 

216 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIV : 3-4 



living God." So the apostles taught soon after at Lystra; and 
doubtless this was an essential part of their preaching in Iconium. 
The disobedient Jews, wily and subtle in their wisdom, could make 
a great deal out of this; and the result is seen in a growing oppo- 
sition, following rapidly on the heels of the success of the Gospel 
among such a large multitude. 



Verse 2. A faithful ministry will excite opposition. — Vs. 2. Rejecters 
of the Gospel like to have company, and will often seek to hinder others 
from accepting Christ. 



3. The alignment of forces, — vss. 

"The multitude of the city was divided : and part held with the 
Jews, and part with the apostles." The result was neither strange 
nor new. The Lord Himself had predicted just such divisions. 
He said to His disciples, *'Think not that I came to send peace 
on the earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I came 
to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against 
her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a 
man's foes shall be they of his own household." (Matt. 10:34-36.) 
The Gospel is a positive force; its influence is never of a negative 
character. The faithful preaching of the truth will always and 
everywhere make friends or enemies. It was so in Iconium. 

The missionaries, however, did not regard this as a reason for 
abandoning the field. On the contrary, according to Luke's sug- 
gestive "therefore," the prevalence of these divisions brought the 
apostles to a directly opposite determination. As Paul, in the later 
history, decided to continue preaching at Ephesus, not only because 
"a great door and effectual had been opened to him," but also 
because ''there were many adversaries," so here, he and Barnabas 
resolved to prolong their labors just because the forces of opposi- 
tion were being arrayed against them. Through the machinations 
of their foes many were becoming ''evil affected" against them; 
"long time, therefore, they tarried there speaking boldly in the 
Lord." 

In some respects the contrast between the ministry at Antioch 
and this at Iconium is notable. At Antioch the apostles did not 

217 



XIV: 3-4] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



remain to fight. When the Jews used "the chief men of the city" 
and ''the devout women of honorable estate" to stir up a persecu- 
tion of the evangelists, they quietly shook off the dust of their feet 
against them, and came to Iconium. We can hardly believe that 
Paul and Barnabas fled because the women got after them; but 
they certainly retired before the first show of opposition and fled 
to another province. But in Iconium, though they were aware of 
the growing disaffection, they tarried a long while, and gave them- 
selves with increasing courage to the preaching of the "glad tid- 
ings." This faith of the messengers triumphing in the Lord, and 
their persistent determination to win a victory for the Gospel, met 
the Divine approval; and in a way not conspicuous at Antioch the 
Lord bare witness to the word of His grace, and granted signs and 
wonders to be done by their hands. 

There were no miracles at Antioch, so far as we know; while 
the ministry at Iconium was buttressed with supernatural powers. 
Why the difference? The question is not easy to answer. This 
much we can say : — The opposition at Antioch was less pronounced 
and violent than at Iconium ; and, as is the Lord's wont, "When the 
enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a stand- 
ard against him." Because of the turbulence of the foe the Lord 
made bare His arm in signs and wonders. We have seen Philip 
the Deacon doing more miracles in Samaria apparently than any 
one of the apostles in Jerusalem, because of the heaven-daring 
impiety of Simon the Sorcerer. And here in Iconium, because their 
enemies were so zealous and mighty, the Lord put mightier weapons 
in the hands of His servants. But among a people so mightily 
moved to do right, yet free and stirred up to do evil, it seemed 
in the end of little avail. 



Verse 3. Opposition should increase our zeal. When that opposition 
becomes extraordinarily virulent the Lord will gird His people with extraor- 
dinary powers. 

Vs. 4. The Gospel a Divisive Element in Human Society. 

I. The ultimate aim of the Gospel is indeed peace. 
11. It gives new tastes to those who accept it. 
in. It sets forth higher aims in life to all who believe. 
IV. Its rewards, both present and future, are chiefly spiritual. 

218 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIV : 5-7 



4. The escape from the storm, — vss. ^-y. 

That storm, long impending, was about to break with disastrous 
power. That it did not actually burst upon the devoted heads of 
the missionaries was not due to any forbearance on the part of 
their enemies, but to their own wise and prudent conduct. Paul 
and Barnabas foresaw the approaching crisis, and knew the war of 
words would soon give place to deeds of violence. They believed 
the time had now come when they would be warranted in literal 
obedience of their Lord's command, — "When they persecute you in 
this city flee into the next." And so they withdrew from Iconium. 

It is difficult to understand the widespreading prevalence of the 
spirit of violence, which seems to have pervaded all classes of the 
community. Both Gentiles and Jews and the rulers were animated 
by one common spirit of malevolence and determined lawlessness. 
Considering the nature and violence of this persecution, it is to the 
credit of the women of Iconium that they were not involved in it, 
as the women of Antioch were in the outbreak in that city. The 
word Luke uses is a very strong one, and betokens intended acts of 
vile and personal physical indignity, of such heinous and shameful 
character as by Athenian law were punishable with death. To 
these humiliating indignities the rancorous multitudes determined 
to subject the messengers of peace; and only after they had so 
endured were they to receive the merciful release of death by 
stoning! No wonder the apostles fled from such unbridled fury! 

One other feature of this dastardly outrage presents a prob- 
lem; and the solution of it is not at once apparent. Why did not 
Paul claim the rights of Roman citizenship, and stay the hand of 
violence by putting himself and his companion under the mighty 
aegis of imperial Rome? At a later date, before the magistrates of 
Philippi, and also in the presence of the Chiliarch in Jerusalem, 
Paul did not hesitate to claim the right of Roman citizenship ; and 
that claim was instantly respected, and he was saved from the 
outrage of the scourge and the chain. Why did he not here so 
proclaim his right? 

There are two answers to this question. For one thing, it is 
not certain that these ''rulers" were magistrates of Rome, as were 
the rulers of Philippi. Luke's term is ambiguous. He says, "Both 
of the Gentiles and of the Jews with their rulers," and this last 

219 



XIV: 5-7] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



clause may refer to the Jews alone, and so may be regarded as 
meaning rulers of the Jews. The word, at any rate, means, literally, 
''leaders," and may not designate any officials of the Civil Govern- 
ment. On the other hand, it is certain that at this time Iconium 
was not a proconsular or proprietorial city, but a member of an 
independent tetrarchy, and these rulers, if not limited to the chief 
men of the synagogue, must have been subordinates of the Tetrarch, 
and in some sort representatives of the Roman Power. It would 
seem, then, that Paul's claim, had he chosen to make it, might have 
been of prevailing efficacy. 

But, for another thing, it does not appear that Barnabas had 
the right of Roman citizenship. And, if this is so, we can well 
beheve that Paul's noble and self-sacrificing friendship for Barnabas 
would not allow him to avail himself of a defence which his com- 
panion could not share. Rather than save himself from outrage, 
to which Barnabas must remain a victim, he will turn his back 
upon the shield of Rome ; and with his friend flee into banishment 
to the cities of Lycaonia, and the circumjacent regions, bearing 
always and everywhere the blessed tidings of the Holy Evangel. 



Verse 6. Sometimes it is wise to fly from persecution. — Vs. 7. Provi- 
dence may close the door in one place, that He may open it in another. 



Sub-section 5. — At Lystra and Derhe, — i4:8-2ia. 

8 And at Lystra there sat a certain man, impotent in his feet, a cripple 
from his mother's womb, who had never walked. 9 The same heard Paul 
speaking: who, fastening his eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to 
be made whole, 10 said with a loud voice. Stand upright on thy feet. And 
he leaped and walked. 

II And when the multitude saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their 
voice, saying, in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in 
the likeness of men. 12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mer- 
cury, because he was the chief speaker. 13 And the priest of Jupiter, whose 
temple was before the city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and 
would have done sacrifice with the multitudes. 

14 But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they rent 
their garments, and sprang forth among the multitude, crying out, 15 and 
saying. Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions 
with you, and bring you good tidings, that ye should turn from these vain 
things unto a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, 

220 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIV : 8-10 



and all that in them is: 16 who in the generations gone by suffered all the 
nations to walk in their own ways. 17 And yet He left not Himself with- 
out witness, in that He did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruit- 
ful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness. 18 And, with these 
sayings, scarce restrained they the multitudes from doing sacrifice unto them. 

19 But there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium; and, having 
persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the 
city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But, as the disciples stood round about 
him, he rose up, and entered into the city: and on the morrow he went forth 
with Barnabas to Derbe. 21a And when they had preached the Gospel to 
that city^ and made many disciples, they returned. 



I. The healing of the Lystrian cripple, — vss. 8-10. 2. The proffer of Divine 
honors, — vss. 11-13. 3. The diadem vehemently refused, — vss. 14-18. 
4. The cross instead of the crown, — vss. ig-sia. 



I. The healing of the Lystrian cripple, — vss. 8-10. 

The apostles fled to Lystra and Derbe. Their flight led them 
into a wilder and less cultivated region, tovv^ard the southeast, and 
in the direction of the "CiHcian Gates," through the Taurian Moun- 
tains. The little cities which gave them timely asylum had for 
centuries disappeared from the map; but the site of each has been 
recently identified with reasonable accuracy. They were located, 
the one forty and the other sixty miles from Iconium, on the 
military and caravan road connecting the two Antiochs. The road 
itself in this region runs along the southern shore of a small lake 
on the eastern end of the great plain of Lycaonia, and keeps to 
the north of the so-called "Black Mountain," — the huge isolated 
mass of an extinct volcano, rising Hke a giant directly from a 
"plain as level as the sea." These Karamanian ridges have no 
foothills : and the level plain runs right up to the foot of the moun- 
tain, and with the outlying spurs of the same forms little coves 
or nooks, in one of which, looking north, nestled the city of Lystra, 
while Derbe, twenty miles further east, on the same road and 
at the base of the same Black Mountain looked out apparently 
toward the sun-rising. 

The missionaries, though in flight from their persecutors, did 

221 



XIV: 8-10] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



not confine their efforts to the two cities; but in all the region 
round about, over the immense plain of Lycaonia, spread the glad 
tidings. Here the congenital cripple of Lystra heard the Gospel 
and came to believe. How he was led to faith we are not told. 
Every reader of Luke's narrative must have noticed how much his 
case is like to that of the cripple at the Beautiful Gate of the 
Temple in Jerusalem. And we wonder if the hearing of this gra- 
cious miracle at the hands of Peter and John did not encourage him 
to believe that the same Divine Lord could and would do the 
same for him through Paul and Barnabas. However it came about, 
Paul, observing him intently, saw that here was no gaping curios- 
ity-monger, interested in a general way in what the preacher said, 
but one whose humble mien and trusting expectancy surely betok- 
ened a spirit akin to the leper before the Master, who cried, ''Lord, 
if Thou wilt. Thou can'st make me clean." And instantly for the 
honor of his Divine Lord, and the spread of the Gospel, he him- 
self in triumphing faith summoned the forces of Omnipotence to 
exert their healing power. And lo ! the cripple was immediately 
made perfectly whole ! 



Verse 9. The faith of miracles and saving faith are not the same; but 
may sometimes, as probably here, be manifested by the same person. 

Vss. 8-17. The Miracle at Lystra, 

1. It arrested public attention. 
II. It was perverted by the idolaters. 
III. It confirmed nature's revelation of God. 

Vss. 9-10. The Cripple at Lystra. 

I. What was it that preceded his faith? 
II. Wherein lay his faith to be healed? 
Ill, The spiritual teaching of the miracle. — (Spurgeon.) 



2. The proffer of Divine Honors, — vss. 11-13. 

The immediate effect of the miracle was not helpful to the cause 
of the evangelists. Satan is ever ready to pervert the richest bless- 
ings of "2. wise, holy and tender Providence." And these Lycaon- 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIV : 14-18 



ians, recalling the fabled metamorphoses of their heathen divini- 
ties, in this same region, as sung by the poets of Rome, believed 
that now for a fact their gods had come down from heaven to earth 
in the likeness of men. They called Barnabas, Jupiter, — an inci- 
dental testimony to the large and stately appearance of the Cypriote 
''Son of exhortation," and Paul they called Mercury, because he 
was the chief speaker. And the priest of Jupiter was ready to 
take advantage of the popular excitement and lead his countrymen 
in sacrifices and ascriptions of divine honors to these messengers 
of the King of Kings. The temple gates are open, the oxen and gar- 
lands are before the altar, and the multitude is ready to give that 
glory to mortal men which belongs to Jehovah, God of heaven 
and earth! It was an awful perversion of the right ways of the 
Lord. It seemed as if the beneficent work of the missionaries was 
about to be swept away in a delirium of universal madness. But 
Paul and Barnabas will not have it so. 



3. The diadem vehemently refused, — vss. 14-18. 

Overwhelmed with horror at the turn affairs were taking, the 
apostles, with rent garments and indignant protests, rejected the 
proffered worship; and with earnest entreaty besought the people 
to turn from these vanities of idolatry to the living God, creator 
of heaven and earth and sea, and all that in them is. Before these 
heathen people the messengers of life cannot appeal to any tradi- 
tions of a true revelation as they might have done in the synagogue. 
And so, as Paul did at Athens, they carry their deluded hearers 
directly into the presence of the uncreated and omnipotent God. 
He was invisible but not absent. He had seemed to leave the affairs 
of men to run themselves, but had never left Himself without 
witness to the goodness of His nature and the benign character of 
His government. "In the generations gone by He had suffered all 
the nations to walk in their own ways. And yet he left not Him- 
self without witness, in that He did good and gave you from heaven 
rains and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and 
gladness." 

Impressed by the apostles' words with the fact of the existence 
and rule of such a God, and convicted of their vile ingratitude in 

223 



XIV:i9-2i] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



proffering to their fellow-creatures the worship which of right 
belonged to Him alone, the multitudes are turned, even though with 
difficulty, from their idolatrous purpose ; and a strong foundation is 
laid for the proclamation of the Christian revelation, — of which 
we may be sure the evangelists took immediate advantage. And 
the subsequent history reveals the success of their work. We meet 
as trophies of this campaign in Lystra the beloved Timothy, and 
the faithful women, his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. The 
harvest on this field may have been small, but the garnering was 
of the finest of the wheat. 



Verse 17. God often seems to, but does not ever, forsake the world 
which He has made. 

Vs. 15. The Folly of Idolatry. 

I. It is degrading to man. 
II. It is dishonoring to God. 
III. Its sacrifices bring no help. 

Vs. 15b. Human Nature Everywhere the Same. 

I. All men are mortal. 
II. All men are sinners. 
III. All men are lost and need a Saviour. 

Vs. 17. Nature. 

I. What it reveals of God. 
11. It fails to reveal help for the sinner. 



4. The cross instead of the crown, — vss. ip-2ia. 

The apostles rejected the diadem of divine honors; and now 
they must needs bear the cross. So did their Master before them. 
The multitude one day cried Hosanna, and the next shouted Crucify 
Him. The Lystrians were not less fickle than the rabble of Jeru- 
salem. The unbelieving and disobedient Jews of Antioch and 
Iconium were not satisfied with driving Paul and Barnabas out of 
their midst, but followed them with an implacable hatred and un- 
relenting persecution: and so the conflict, begun in Antioch and 

224 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIV : 21-28 



continued in Iconium, is resumed in Lystra, and carried on to 
what the enemy beHeved was a fatal conclusion. "Then came 
Jews from Antioch and Iconium; and, having persuaded the multi- 
tudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, suppos- 
ing that he was dead." It seems almost incredible that such a sud- 
den and utter revulsion of feeling could have taken place under 
any imaginable influence. Doubtless the Jews sought and were able 
to persuade these Lystrians that inasmuch as these strangers dis- 
avowed any supernatural origin they must be ministers of evil 
powers, and as such were dangerous to the peace of the city, and 
ought to be driven from the ranks of men. 

But once more the forces of evil were defeated. Paul was 
not dead. Whether through some miraculous healing power or not 
we are not told, "but as the disciples stood round about him, he 
rose up, and entered into the city; and on the morrow he went 
forth with Barnabas to Derbe." No particulars are given us of 
their ministry in Derbe. It seems to have been greatly blessed; 
and Luke's narrative assures us that they made many disciples 
there. And an incidental reference in another place (20:4) leads 
us to believe that it may have been a very fruitful ministry. Gaius 
of Derbe, who with others waited for Paul at Troas, on the final 
home-coming journey, was probably a convert during this first visit 
to the Lycaonian city. 



Verse 19. The fickleness of popular favor. — Vs. 19. Persuasion to do 
wrong involves both parties in a guilty conspiracy. — Vs. 20. The "story 
must be told" at whatever cost, — if not here, then there ; and the Lord of the 
field will see that a harvest cometh in in its season. 



Sub-section 6. — The Return, — vss. 14:211-28. 

21 They returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, 22 con- 
firming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, 
and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. 
23 And when they had appointed for them elders in every Church, and had 
prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they had 
believed. 

24 And they passed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia. 25 And 
when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia; 

26 and thence they sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been com- 



225 



XIV: 21-23] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



mitted to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. 27 And 
when they were come, and had gathered the Church together, they re- 
hearsed all things that God had done with them, and that He had opened a 
door of faith unto the Gentiles. 28 And they tarried no little time with the 
disciples. 



I. Confirming the infant Churches^ — vss. 2ih-23. 2, Evangelizing by the 
way, — vss. 24-2^. 3. The home-coming and report, — vss. 26-28. 



I. Confirming the infant Churches, — vss. 2ih-2^. 

It was a brave thing for the evangelists to double on their 
tracks, and in the face of all possible dangers return the way they 
came. At Derbe they were but a short distance from the Cilician 
Gates through the ranges of Mount Taurus; and in a .short time 
they might have passed through, and speedily found their way to 
the city of Tarsus and their friends. Possibly this avenue of travel 
was still too beset with danger from highwaymen and robbers for 
a small company to utiHze it. But we may be sure questions of 
personal safety did nothing whatever to determine the direction 
of their going. Paul and Barnabas were chiefly concerned for the 
spiritual welfare and progress of the converts whom they had 
won to Christ by their faithful ministry. And so they revisited 
the scenes of their trials and successes, not needlessly courting 
danger, but seeking to finish the work from which they had been 
driven by persecution. 

It is interesting to observe how the apostles confirmed the 
faith of the new disciples, (i) They promised them abundant 
trials, and assured them that only through much tribulation could 
they enter the kingdom of God. Paul was taking the same course 
with them that his Master had taken with him. The Lord had 
said to Ananias of the persecutor, "I will show him how great 
things he must suffer for my name's sake." (2) They organized 
the disciples into Churches, and ordained them elders in every place 
to rule over them and minister to their help and progress. It is 
possible to serve the Lord Christ alone, and the believer must 
sometimes walk by himself, and find solace in trial and strength 
for service, in the presence and companionship alone of his gra- 

226 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH 'XIV : 21-23 



cious Master. But He, who in the beginning saw that it was not 
good for man to be alone, has ordained that commonly the highest 
development of the Christian character and the most efficient exer- 
cise of the Christian graces and activities shall come in connection 
with the organized Christian congregation. So the apostles ap- 
pointed for their converts elders in every Church. (3) Then, 
unable to do more for them, they commended them to the Lord, on 
whom they had believed. And this was the best thing of all. So 
it ever is. We cannot remain indefinitely with those whom we 
have won to Christ: but we can, with earnest prayer and even 
fasting, put them in the hands of the Lord, whom we have per- 
suaded them to accept and trust. In His divine keeping they shall 
be forever secure. 



Verse 22. Caring for new converts is an important part of the minis- 
ter's work. — Vs. 22. Continuing in the faith is the best test of its genuine 
beginning. — Vs. 22. Afflictions are a necessary element in spiritual progress; 
why? — Vs. 23, The organized Church, with its officers, sacraments, and 
services, was instituted by Christ; and "out of it ordinarily there is no sal- 
vation." — Vs. 23. The business of the Church, not less than preaching of 
the Gospel, calls for earnest prayer. — Vs. 23. Fasting is an extraordinary 
means of grace. In New Testament usage it was resorted to apparently 
only on extraordinary occasions. — Vs. 23. Putting our believing friends in 
the hands of the Lord is the best thing we can do for them. 



I. What is meant by "confirming the souls of the disciples"? 
II. Whence the necessity of such confirmation? 

III. How is it ordinarily to be obtained? — (Fleming, Rev. Dr. Thomas.) 



1. They loosen the world's hold upon us. 

11. They reveal the weaknesses of our characters. 

III. They bring us into closer fellowship with Christ. 

IV. They increase our longings, and help us to prepare for heaven. 



Vs. 22. The Disciples Confirmed. 



Vs. 22. The Benefits of Afflictions. 



Vs. 23. Spiritual Forces. 



I. 

II. 
III. 



The influences of spiritual leadership. 

The forces of spiritual intercession and sympathy. 

The grip of the Lord Christ on the believing soul. 



(Thomas, Rev. John.) 



227 



XIV: 24-25] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. Evangelizing by the way, — vss. 24-25. 

On this return journey we may be sure the missionaries did not 
confine themselves to the confirmation of the new disciples. As 
they descended from the table-lands of Pisidia, and sought the 
coast probably through the valley of the river Cestrus, they doubt- 
less preached the Gospel everywhere in the going down : but it was 
chiefly in Perga that they tarried and "spoke the word." This 
was the city where they landed from Cyprus; but they did not 
tarry there, when outward bound. Why did they so, on the home- 
ward journey? The question suggests some interesting thoughts 
concerning the time of their visit, and the duration of the first 
missionary journey. 

Thinking of the latter first, it seems likely for various reasons, 
needless to detail here, that this first evangelistic tour was accom- 
plished within the limits of one year, or even less. The messengers 
utilized the sea both going and coming, and, of course, made use 
of the sailing vessels of the commercial world for the accomplish- 
ment of their voyages both out and in. In our day the navigation 
of the Mediterranean is a comparatively simple affair, and there 
is no cessation of it the year round. But in apostolic times it 
was confined for the most part to the summer season. It opened 
with the rising of the Pleiades, i. e., in the month of March. And, 
while it did not absolutely close till about the middle of November, 
it was regarded as unsafe as much as six weeks earlier, as we learn 
from Paul's voyage to Rome, when, near Fair Havens, as Luke 
says, *'the voyage was now dangerous, because the Fast (i. e., the 
day of atonement, i. e. about the time of the September equinox) 
was already gone by." It is believed that ample time for all the 
incidents of this first missionary journey will be afforded if we sup- 
pose it began about the middle of March, and closed about the 
middle of October. 

The apostles, therefore, were preaching the Gospel in Perga 
in the autumn, after a summer campaign in the elevated regions of 
Pisidia and Lycaonia. And they tarried in Perga, because, with 
the passing of the summer heats, the people had returned to the 
low-lying coast; and so were accessible, as not before, to the mes- 
sengers of grace. But they could not tarry long even now, if 
they would secure transportation to the Syrian Antioch. And, no 

228 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIV : 26-28 



vessel offering at Perga, they had to hasten onward sixteen miles 
further to Attalia, whence they sailed to the Orontes, accomplishing 
there the last stages of the eventful journey. 



Verse 25. A door closed at one time may be opened at another. Out- 
ward bound the evangelists found no opportunity offering in Perga. In the 
return her gates were opened. 



3. The home-coming and report, — vss. 26-28. 

The narrative makes the following points, viz. — (i) They 
gathered the Church together. It was a day of "good tidings," and 
they would make the hearts of their brethren glad. (2) They 
reported to those who "had committed them to the grace of God 
for the work which they had fulfilled." (3) The modesty of their 
report is notable. Luke speaks of the work, "which they had ful- 
filled." The missionaries themselves put it in a very different 
way, — "They rehearsed all things," not that they had done, but 
"that God had done with them, and that He had opened a door of 
faith unto the Gentiles." 



Verse 26. To be commended to the grace of God for any work gives us 
courage and the hope of success in it. — ^Vs. 27. Whatever our brethren may 
think we have done for the Lord, we know in our hearts that the Lord has 
done it for us. We are only instruments. — ^Vs. 27b. It is a blessed and glori- 
ous fact that the door is open ! "Whosoever will may come." "Let him take 
of the water of life freely." 

Vs. 27. The Door of Faith. 

I. It opens to eternal salvation. 
II. It opens to a world-wide fellowship. 
IIL It opens to a blissful immortality. 

Vss. 26-27. The Model Missionary Meeting. 

I. The missionary enterprise is unquestionably right. 
II. It demands our prayers. 

III. It is the cause of the Church. 

IV. It has a history worth relating, 

V. It is under the special direction of God. — {The Homilist.) 

229 



XV: 1-2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss, 19^28. The End of the First Missionary Journey. 

The apostles' method of forming and feeding the Churches in pagan 
communities. 

I. Evangelization. 
II. Organization. 

III. Edification. — (Pierson, Rev. Dr. A. T.) 



Section 2. — The Testimony of the First Christian Council^ — 15 :i~3S. 

Sub-section i. — The Report, — vss. 1-5. 

I And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, 
saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be 
saved. 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and ques- 
tioning with them, 

The brethren appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of 
them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this 
question. 3 They therefore, being brought on their way by the Church, 
passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the 
Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. 

4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the 
Church, and the apostles and elders, and they rehearsed all things that God 
had done with them. 5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Phari- 
sees who believed, saying, It is needful to circumcise them, and to charge 
them to keep the law of Moses. 



I. The dispute in Antioch, — vss. i-2a. 2. The reference and deputation to 
Jerusalem, — vss. 2b-3. 3. The case presented, — vss. 4-5. 



I. The dispute in Antioch, — vss. i-2a. 

The Church at Antioch was prospering; and, for a long time 
after their return, Paul and Barnabas remained in the city, doubt- 
less in the quiet prosecution of their evangelistic ministry. But 
Satan was not minded that the Church should have peace and suc- 
cess. His emissaries were ready to distract, divide and destroy 
the work of the Lord. Luke, with the colorless calmness of a his- 
torian, speaks of these emissaries as "certain men who came down 
from Judea." 

230 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 1-2 



We must needs inquire, What was the exact point of dispute? 
These ''men from Judea" were Christian believers, at least nom- 
inally so. They did not deny the justice of the claim of the Gen- 
tiles to the rights and privileges of Christian discipleship. But 
these privileges and rights could not be justly claimed, nor was 
salvation possible, — so they taught, — save in submission to "cir- 
cumcision according to the custom of Moses." These Mosaic insti- 
tutes were of Divine appointment. The rite of circumcision had 
been ordained, for one thing, in order to separate God's people from 
all nations of men. And, as in the past, people of other nations 
might share the blessings of the chosen race, by being circumcised, 
and thus enrolled as "proselytes of righteousness," so under the 
Gospel the condition of the unchanging law was the same : and this, 
therefore, was their judgment, "Except ye be circumcised ye cannot 
be saved." 

Paul and Barnabas could not admit the justice of such a judg- 
ment. They contended that the adoption of such a principle would 
utterly destroy the free and gracious character of the Gospel, and 
make salvation turn upon the observance of an external ceremony. 
They would emphasize the fact that the same Lord who had given 
circumcision to His people of old had now, in the very terms of 
their evangelistic commission, made imperative the sole and only 
condition of salvation to be faith in the crucified and risen Re- 
deemer, — "He that believeth shall be saved; he that believeth not 
shall be condemned." As Paul afterwards wrote to the Colossians, 
the Lord Christ had "blotted out the bond written in ordinances 
that was against them, that was contrary to them, and had taken 
it out of the way, nailing it to His cross." 

Such was the alignment of forces in this first great controversy 
of the Christian Church. The differences between the parties were 
radical. It was no dispute about non-essentials; it had respect to 
fundamentals. No discussion in the Church of Antioch would 
settle the matter. An authoritative decision was called for. This 
was evident to all; and all united in referring the question to the 
judgment of the Mother-Church. 



Verse i. The zeal of errorists often shames the apathy of those who 
hold the truth. — Vs. i. A false application is here made of the just maxim, 
— The reason of the law remaining, the law itself abides. — Vs. i. The for- 
malist exalts the non-essentials into a necessity. 

231 ^ 



XV: 2-3] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. The reference and deputation to Jerusalem, — vss. 2b-^. 

''The men from Judea" were willing to make such a disposition 
of the case, because of their conviction that the decision would be 
in their favor. Indeed, they appear to have assumed from the 
beginning to speak for the authorities in Jerusalem, — an assumption 
not warranted by the facts, and which the Council itself subse- 
quently disavow^ed (vs. 24). Paul and Barnabas, and those who 
thought with them, were also quite willing to refer the case, because 
of their conviction that the central and governing principle in the 
dispute had already been declared in the judgment of the i^Iother- 
Church in Jerusalem on the course and conduct of Peter in the 
home of the Centurion of Cssarea. 

So the controversy in Antioch was stayed ; and representatives 
of both parties were sent up to Jerusalem. It is a notable fact, 
and to the credit of both sides, that there was no renewal of the 
dispute en- route, if indeed they traveled together, which, of course, 
while likely, is not certain. Visiting the Churches of Phoenicia and 
Samaria on the way, the travelers did not detail the purpose of 
their going, nor carry the rancor of their controversy with them: 
but they rehearsed the story of the first missionary journey, about 
which there could be no question. And the result was as might 
have been expected. Declaring ''the conversion of the Gentiles, 
they caused great joy unto all the brethren." 



Verse 2b. Controversies affecting the whole Church should be deter- 
mined by representatives of the whole Church. — Vs. 3. The cost of journe3^s 
and assemblies of the representatives of the Church should be borne by the 
Church. — Vs. 3b. The conversion of the heathen ahvays brings great glad- 
ness to all true believers. 



3. The case presented, — vss. 4-j. 

"And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received 
of the Church and the apostles and the elders ; and they rehearsed 
all things that God had done with them." There is good ground for 
believing that this rehearsal was first made to a select company of 
the apostles and leading men. So the evangelists did at the close 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF E.\RTH [XV : 4-5 



of the second missionary journey, as Paul tells us in Galatians 2 :2. 
(See page 290 of these Notes.) The leaders of the Church were 
thus advised, before the meeting of the Council, of the work of 
the missionaries, and knew how the Lord had set the seal of His 
approval upon what they had done. It is not too much to say, 
therefore, that Paul and Barnabas went into the Council, not with 
things ''set up" in their favor, but supported by the favorable 
judgment of the chief men as to their course in general, though this 
by no means committed these leaders as yet to the open endorse- 
ment of Paul's view of the particular subject in controversy. 

And, though the leaders were thus favorably disposed to the 
missionaries beforehand, the great body of the rulers of the Church 
were yet to be won. And upon the claim of the sect of the Phari- 
sees, who believed that it was ''needful to circumcise them, and 
charge them to keep the law of Moses," "the apostles and elders 
were gathered together to consider of this matter." 



Verse 4. The true missionary will ascribe the glory of what is done to 
God, and not to his own endeavors. He has a right to feel that he is surely, 
and yet only, a co-worker with God. — Vs. 5. The conservatives and the pro- 
gressives alike have a place and a work in the Church; and both deserve to 
be heard. 



Sub-section 2. — The Deliberation, — vss. 6-21. 

\ 

6 "And the apostles and elders were gathered together to consider of 
this matter." 7 And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up 
and said unto them. 

Brethren, ye know that a good while ago God made choice among you, 
that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the Gospel, and be- 
lieve. 8 And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them 
the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us ; 9 and He made no distinction be- 
tween us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Now, therefore, why 
make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disci- 
ples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we be- 
lieve that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in like 
manner as they. 

12 And all the multitude kept silence ; and they hearkened unto Barna- 
bas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among 
the Gentiles through them. 

13 And, after they held their peace, James answered, saying, Brethren, 
hearken unto me : 14 Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the Gen- 

233 



XV: 6-7] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



tiles, to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And to this agree the 
words of the prophets; as it is written, 

16 After these things I will return, 

And I will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen; 
And I will build again the ruins thereof, 
And I will set it up: 

17 That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, 
And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, 

18 Saith the Lord, who maketh these things known from of old. 19 
Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the 
Gentiles turn to God ; 20 but that we write unto them, that they abstain from 
the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and 
from blood. 21 For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them 
that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath. 



I. The general discussion, — vs. 6-ya. 2. The speech of Peter, — vss. ^b-ii. 
3. The story of Paul and Barnabas, — vs. 12. 4. The speech of James, — 
vss. 13-21. 



I. The general discussion, — vss. 6-'ja. 

From the word which Luke uses (Questioning) it would seem 
as if this discussion were largely a presentation of the subject 
from the point of view of the Christian Pharisees. And even to 
their minds the subject appeared chiefly in the form of questioning. 
May we not reverently imagine them troubled with such questions 
as these, viz. — Was not circumcision ordained of old, — an ordi- 
nance of Divine appointment? Has God given any intimation of 
His will that this requirement should be abrogated? How can the 
ages-old and Divinely appointed restrictions of our Jewish economy 
be reconciled with the offer of salvation to all mankind except in 
one way? Admitting that our Divine Lord's command must be 
obeyed, and the Gospel must be preached to every creature under 
heaven, how can it be done without breaking down the older and 
more sacred requirements of the law, except we call upon all, who 
believe and accept Jesus as their Saviour, to be circumcised and 
keep the law of Moses? 

These and such like questions seem to have been propounded 
to the Council; and evidently in the judgment of those who asked 
them they admitted of but one answer, and that answer favorable 
to their contention. 



234 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV: 7-1 1 
Verse 6. A free interchange of opinions is likely to elicit the truth. 



2. The speech of Peter, — vss. /b-ii. 

It was eminently fitting that Peter should first voice an answer 
to these questionings. Had he not been troubled by them himself? 
And had they not been answered to his mind by the vision of the 
house-top in Joppa? And under the guidance of that vision had 
not he, a circumcised Jew, opened the door of faith to uncircum- 
cised Gentiles? 

Peter's address was eminently practical. He takes the same 
position before the Council that he had taken fifteen or twenty 
years before, when they of the circumcision complained of his 
course at Caesarea. He emphasizes the facts. There is no getting 
around facts. And the points he makes are these, viz. — (i) God 
had chosen through him to make the first ofifer of the Gospel to 
the uncircumcised Gentiles. (2) He had accompanied the accept- 
ance of that offer by them with the gift of the Holy Spirit to them, 
even as to the company of Jewish disciples at Pentecost. (3) That 
gift had not been conditioned on their submission to circumcision, 
or any other ceremonial rite. (4) These being the facts, about which 
as facts there could be no question, what right had they to require 
of the Gentile converts what the Holy Spirit did not require? 
(5) This rite of circumcision has been a yoke of servitude both to 
our fathers and to ourselves. If the Lord by His guiding Spirit 
has chosen to release our Gentile brethren from this yoke, who 
are we that we should require them still to bear it? (6) The free 
and gracious principles of the Gospel have delivered men from this 
bondage to ceremonial observances. "We believe that we shall be 
saved," — not through our conformity to a ceremonial rite — but 
"through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner even as 
they," — even as the Divine Lord has ordained that they shall be 
saved by the hearing of faith, and not by the observance of a 
ceremony. 



Verses yh-ii. The possessor of an influential judgment adds greatly to 
his power by the timely expression of his views. Peter and James carried 
the assembly by wisely waiting till others had had their say before express- 

235 



XV: 12] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



ing their opinions. — Vss. 7-1 1. A single pertinent fact is worth days of con- 
troversy. The bearing of Peter's fact: — (i) God had sent him to Csesarea; 
— (2) God knew the hearts of those to whom He sent him; — (3) God gave 
the household of Cornelius the gift of the Holy Spirit; — (4) God made no 
distinction between these Gentiles and the Jews; — (5) God gave to them as 
to us the cleansing of faith. — Vs. 10. Putting needless yokes on believers is 
tempting God, — making trial of His infinite patience and forbearance. — ^Vs. 
II. Both Jew and Gentile are saved, if saved at all, in one and the same 
way, through the grace of the Lord Jesus, by faith in His ever-blessed name. 

Vs. II. Grace, — The One Way of Salvation. 

I. The apostolical confession of faith. 
II. The converted moral man's intimate statement, 
in. The confession of the great outward sinner when converted. 

(Spurgeon.) 



3. The story of Paul and Barnabas, — vs. 12. 

The address of Peter brought the Council face to face v^ith the 
fact that God Himself had, in the case of Cornelius, settled the 
admission of an uncircumcised Gentile and his household to all the 
rights and privileges of Christian discipleship, and did not require 
him and his to enter the Christian Church through a Jewish gate. 
It was natural, then, for the Council to inquire whether the facts 
in the experience of the missionaries from Antioch had any bear- 
ing in the same direction. So Paul and Barnabas are called upon 
to rehearse the events of their evangelistic tour. They had told 
the story to their brethren in Antioch. A second time they had 
gone over the interesting narrative to the Churches on the way to 
the Council. A third time they had repeated the tale, in private, 
apparently, to the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem. And now 
the fourth time they are required to tell the story before the 
assembled Council. They seem to have been called upon to do this ; 
they did not volunteer the information. Their modesty kept them 
in the background. And this spirit of self-abnegation gave signifi- 
cant form to their rehearsal. It was a rehearsal, not of what they 
had done or said, but of what ''the Lord had wrought among the 
Gentiles through them." 

It was a strange and thrilling tale. Silence and wondering 
praise must have enveloped the contending parties in that first 

236 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 13-21 



Christian Council, as God's servants told of their initial experi- 
ences in Salamis and in Paphos, and of the judgpient of God upon 
the blinded Elymas. And as they continued the story of their 
journey to the high lands of Phrygia, and told of those wondrous 
sabbath days in Antioch, the persecutions of Iconium and Lystra, 
the wondrous healing of the cripple before the temple of Jupiter, 
and the precious gleanings of the harvest in little Derbe, the hearts 
of the Council must have been carried away ; and they were ready 
to join in thanksgiving to their risen and glorified Lord, who had 
given such victory to his missionary heralds. 

Peter's speech and the evangelists' story practically settled 
the question ; and it would seem as if the whole Council must come 
to this conclusion, — If God has set His seal of approval on the 
course of our missionary brethren, what are we that we should 
withstand God? There was one influence, however, yet to be 
taken account of, the force and direction of which it was necessary 
to measure, before the decision of the Council could be registered, — 
that was the attitude of those who still were zealous for the law; 
and this attitude it was supposed would be set forth by their chief 
leader. And so we come to 



4. The speech of James, — vss. 13-21. 

This James was not one of the Twelve Apostles. He is known 
in history as "the Lord's brother," and was the author of our 
"Epistle General of James." While not one of the Twelve, he 
had come to a position of commanding influence in the Mother- 
Church not second to any apostle. He was a conservative Chris- 
tian Jew; and, as is evident from his epistle, laid special emphasis 
upon obedience to the law. He was naturally ascetic in disposi- 
tion, and had come to be known as a leader of all beHevers who 
remained "zealous for the law," and who preferred still to keep 
"the customs which Moses had deHvered to them." 

His position, then, on the pending question was of immense 
moment. Should he side with "the strict constructionists" the 
Council would be sadly divided; and the progress of the Gospel 
would be greatly hindered by the unsettled controversy. On the 
other hand, if he agreed with Peter and the missionaries, the whole 

237. 



XV: 13-21] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



force of the Council would be behind Paul and Barnabas : and the 
Gospel they preached of salvation by grace, through faith alone 
in the crucified and risen Nazarene, would have free course and 
be glorified. We can well imagine, therefore, with what absorbing 
interest the assembly awaited the words of the great leader. They 
were not long left in doubt. 

James accepted at once Peter's testimony to the Divine Call of 
the uncircumcised Gentiles through his ministry. And he imme- 
diately proceeded to show that this, so far from being contrary 
to the Divine order, was in fulfillment of God's promises in the 
prophetic Scriptures. The reestablishment of the Jewish state had 
this ultimate end in view, the calling of the Gentiles, — 

"That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, 
And all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called.'^ 

Reasoning from the premises thus outlined the speaker does not 
leave the assembly long in doubt as to his conclusion. That con- 
clusion is this, — In view of the fact that God in accordance with 
His word of olden time has accepted the uncircumcised Gentiles, 
who have come to believe, and that, too, without any conformity 
to an external ceremony, — "wherefore my judgment is that we 
trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God." 

The judgment of James carried the whole assembly; and, as the 
letter to Antioch makes clear, the apostles and elders came to a 
unanimous decision on the case referred to them. In some sub- 
ordinate matters also the Council followed the judgment of him 
whose high honor it is to be known as "James the Just." He would 
not have the Gentile converts taught anything subversive of salva- 
tion by free grace alone: at the same time he would guard them 
against any turning of that grace of God into lasciviousness. 
Therefore his judgment was that they should be warned to "abstain 
from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what 
is strangled, and from blood." 

And the zealous expounder of the law closes his^ address with 
this somewhat enigmatical reason for his position, — "For Moses 
from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, 
being read in the synagogues every sabbath," There are three 
plausible explanations of these words: — (i) We, who are "zealous 

238 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 13-21 



for the law," need not fear that our action will lead to any neglect 
of Moses, for he is constantly brought before our brethren in 
every city, being read weekly in the synagogues: — (2) These in- 
junctions are not needed by Jewish believers, for they are in- 
structed out of the law as to these things, in the weekly reading 
of the same; and therefore we need to remind only our Gentile 
brethren of these obligations: — (3) To allow such practices among 
the Gentiles would be a stumbling-block to their fellow-worshipers 
among the Jews, to whom they are forbidden in their law, of 
which they are reminded in the sabbath-day rehearsal of the same. 

It is likely that the truth will be found in all three of these 
reasons, though less significance attaches to the last than to the 
other two in view of the fact that very soon Gentile believers ceased 
to worship in the synagogues, and built houses of worship of their 
own. 



Verse 12. The miracles wrought by the power of God, through the 
hands of the apostles, were, and were intended to be, evidences of their 
Divine Commission. They also voiced the acceptance of the Gentiles into 
the family of God. — Vs. 14. The election of grace is a solemn, mysterious, 
yet blessed reality. What God did through Peter and the pioneer mission- 
aries of the primitive Church, He is still doing every day and everywhere, 
visiting the nations, "to take out of them a people for His name." — Vs. 15. 
God's word is often best interpreted by His providences. God gave Israel 
the revelation of the way of salvation, not for Israel alone, but that through 
Israel it might be made known to all nations. — Vss. 19-20. The Church of 
Christ is in the world, not to conserve outworn rites and ceremonies, but by 
the outshining of a pure and holy example to shame the abysmal degrada- 
tions of a lost world, and by the power of the Christ-life to lift it up to a 
plane of purity and peace. 



Sub-section 3. — The Letter, — vss. 22-35. 

22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the eiders, with the whole 
Church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch 
with Paul and Barnabas ; namely, Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief 
men among the brethren : 

23 And they wrote thus by them. The apostles and the elders, brethren, 
unto the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, 
greeting: 24 Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out from 
us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, to whom we gave 

239 



XV: 22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



no commandmeTit ; 25 it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to 
choose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and 
Paul, 26 men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 27 We have sent, therefore, Judas and Silas, who themselves also 
shall tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it seemed good to 
the Holy Spirit, and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these 
necessary things : 29 that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from 
blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which, if ye 
keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well. 

30 So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; and, 
having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle. 31 And, 
when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation. 32 And Judas and 
Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted the brethren with many 
words, and confirmed them. 33 And, after they had spent some time there, 
they were dismissed in peace from the brethren unto those that had sent 
them forth. 35 But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and 
preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. 



I. The messengers, — vs. 22. 2. The message, — vss. 23-29. 3. The outcome, 
—vss. 20-35. 



I. The messengers, — vs. 22, 

It was a wise arrangement of the Council to send their own 
representatives down to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, bearing 
their written instructions, that there might be no question as to the 
mind of the Apostles and Elders. The men chosen for this mission 
were Judas called Barsabbas and Silas. Of the first v/e know noth- 
ing but his name. It is an ingenious conjecture that Sabbas, or 
Zabbas, was a contracted form of Zebedee, and that Judas Bar- 
Zebedee was a brother of the elder James and John, — ''sons of 
Zebedee." A more probable suggestion is that he was a brother of 
Joseph Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, chosen by the early 
disciples as a possible successor to Judas Iscariot. Of Silas' ante- 
cedents we know little more than we do of Judas. But he does not 
disappear from the history as does his fellow-commissioner. 
Whether he remained in Antioch after his mission from the Coun- 
cil had been fulfilled, or returned to that city subsequently is left 
in doubt, in view of the omission of verse 34 in the Revised Ver- 
sion. We know that he became Paul's traveling companion, and 
shall meet him in various incidents of the subsequent history. The 

240 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 23-39 

Philippian episode lends probability to the conjecture that Silas, 
like Paul, was entitled to the rights and privileges of Roman citizen- 
ship. At present he shared with his brother Judas the more honor- 
able, if less advantageous, title of "prophet" in the Church of 
Jerusalem. 

By these men the letter of the Council was carried down to 
Antioch. 



! 

2. The message, — vss. 2^-2^. 

The letter itself is notable, both for what it says, and what it 
omits to say. There is first an explicit disavowal of all responsi- 
bility for the false teaching of the "men of Judea." The apostles 
had not authorized either their mission or their teaching. Then 
follows a most cordial endorsement of the missionaries of Antioch, 
their "beloved Barnabas and Paul." Then, through the Divine 
guidance having come from many diiferent opinions to a unanimous 
decision, they claim the mind of the Holy Spirit, and give this as 
their judgment, — To lay upon them no greater burden than four 
specified necessary things. The contention in Antioch had been 
about the obligation of circumcision. By the elimination of this 
rite from the list of necessary things, the letter granted liberty to 
Gentile believers, but in a politic and considerate way that would 
not needlessly grate upon the sensibilities of those who were most 
"zealous for the law." 

The four necessary things specified in the letter are perhaps 
strictly reducible to three, — the prohibition of things strangled being 
due in all probability to the retention of the blood in the animal 
thus slain. Both prohibitions were founded upon the provision 
of the law that in the blood was the life; and the shedding of the 
blood was the life and efficacy of the sacrifice, whether of the lamb 
at the altar, or the Lamb on Calvary. It is not at all certain also 
that there may not have been to the Jews, and may not now be to 
us, hygienic reasons for prohibiting the use of the blood as an 
article of diet. 

Possibly these restrictions of the apostolic letter may be still 
further reduced to two. At first thought we are surprised to find 
the sin of fornication catalogued with ceremonial observances. The 

241 



XV: 30-33] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



wonder is not that this sin should be forbidden, but that it should 
have been thought necessary to specify the prohibition, and in 
such a catalogue, — as if, in the judgment of the Council, it was no 
more a sin to commit fornication than it was to eat meat that had 
been offered in sacrifice to an idol, or, for example, a blood pudding, 
or some other article of diet, of which blood formed a constituent 
element. 

There are two possible explanations of the mention of this 
sin in the list of prohibited things. One reveals the deep degrada- 
tion of heathenism. It was abysmal, and this violation of the law 
of purity had become so common that the moral sense of even new 
converts was not shocked by its prevalence in their households. 
The other reason connects this prohibition with the first restriction. 
They were to abstain from the pollutions of idols, as well as from 
fornication. Most prominent among the pollutions of idolatry 
was the legalized prostitution which formed so frequent an adjunct 
of the worship of heathen temples. And the Council, writing for 
the benefit of believers who lived under the shadow of the infamous 
grove of Daphne in Antioch and the Paphian pollutions in Cyprus, 
could not but voice the call of the Prophets of old, — "Come ye out 
from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch 
no unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be to you a 
Father, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord 
Almighty." 



3. The outcome^ — vss. 30-35. 

The home-coming of the missionaries, accompanied by the 
delegates of the Council, was an occasion of great joy to the disci- 
ples in Antioch. The assembling of the multitude of believers, the 
reading of the letter of the Council, and the exhortations of the 
prophets from Jerusalem, Judas and Silas, made it a red-letter day 
in the Syrian Capital. We shall very much underestimate the au- 
thority of the Council, and the efficiency of its decision, if we con- 
clude that the settlement of the controversy effected by the apostles 
and elders was but partial and temporary. So many believe. And 
it is true that Paul especially met the machinations of the Judaizing 
teachers almost everywhere in his missionary journeys. They hin- 
dered his work, and added greatly to the sorrows of his ministry; 

242 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 36-40 



and eventually in Jerusalem with the unbelieving Jews led to his 
arrest and delivery into the hands of the Romans. But, after all, 
they were a comparatively small section of the professing Church. 
Their influence was constantly diminishing. And in the approach- 
ing cataclysm of Jerusalem's overthrow they went down to irre- 
trievable ruin, and were heard of no more. But the great doctrine 
of salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus of Nazareth was 
established upon impregnable foundations; and no ceremonial ob- 
servance was regarded as essential to its completeness and efficiency. 

The section closes with the peaceful dismissal of the messengers 
of the Council, while the pioneer missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, 
with many others tarried in Antioch, "teaching and preaching the 
word of the Lord." 



Verses 30-35. A halt in the missionary propaganda is wise, if it leads 
to the removal of hindrances, and the unification of evangelistic forces. Joy, 
peace, and courage spring up on the settlement of controversies. Spiritual 
strength comes from the ministration of the truth. What joy it is to turn 
from ecclesiastical bickerings to the work of world-wide evangelization! 



Section 3. — The Testimony of Paul and Silas; — The Second Missionary 
Journey^ — 15 136 18 :22. 

Sub-section i. — The Contention, — vss. 36-40. 

36 And after some days Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us return now and 
visit the brethren in every city wherein we have proclaimed the word of the 
Lord, and see how they fare. 

37 And Barnabas was minded to take with them John also, who was 
called Mark. 38 But Paul thought not good to take with them him who 
withdrew from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. 

39 And there arose a sharp contention, so that they parted asunder one 
from the other. 

And Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away unto Cyprus, 40 but 
Paul chose Silas, and went forth, being commended by the brethren to the 
grace of the Lord. 



I. The occasion of the quarrel, — vs. 36. 2. The cause of it, — vs. 37. 3. The 
right of it, — vs. 38. 4. The consequences of it, — vss. 39-40. 

243 



XV: 36] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



I. The occasion of the quarrel, — vs. 36. 

The second missionary journey grew out of Paul's interest in 
the converts made during the first evangelistic tour. The great 
missionary was not satisfied with tarrying in Antioch. The door 
was doubtless wide open for preaching the word in the Syrian 
capital; but Paul's heart was with his inexperienced brethren in 
far-off Pisidia and Lycaonia. And hence his proposal to Barnabas, 
— ''Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city wherein 
we have proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they fare." 
That Paul had intended to confine the proposed visit to the Churches 
already founded we can hardly believe. But it is a noticeable fact 
that the strengthening of the native Churches was regarded by 
these pioneer missionaries as of the first importance in the evange- 
lization of heathen peoples. They had ordained them elders, and 
appointed leaders in every city, and commended them to the Lord, 
on whom they had come to believe. 

But now Paul was anxious to know how they were getting on. 
He had planted lights in dark places ; he would know if those lights 
were shining all around them. Founded by missionaries, they were 
to be missionary Churches. So only could the missionary propa- 
ganda spread from place to place and people to people. And this 
was the apostle's thought, — if we would conquer the world for 
Christ, we must confirm the feeble Churches, and make them strong 
to spread abroad the glad tidings. 

This proposal of a second evangelistic tour w^as the occasion 
of a quarrel between these old friends. 



Verse 36. The care and training of young converts is as important and 
necessary as the seeking of new ones. — Ys. 36. The evangelization of every 
nation must be done largely by its own people. — Vs. 36. The first and chief 
work of the foreign missionary must be the strengthening of new disciples, 
and the raising up and training of native ministers and evangelists. 

Vs. 36. The Second Missionary Journey. 

I. Decided on, 

1. Reasons for it. 

2. Preparations for it. 

244 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 37-38 

II. The plan of it. 

1. Revisiting old fields. 

2. Opening up new ones. — (Mitchell, Rev. Dr. Arthur.) 



2. The cause of it, — vs. j/. 

Barnabas responded heartily to the proposition of his old com- 
rade, and seemed quite as willing to go as Paul himself. But he 
wanted to take with them again Mary's son, John Mark. Paul was 
not willing to take him. Hence arose the difference between the old 
friends; and the difference ended in a quarrel and serious breach 
and separation. John Mark had gone with Paul and Barnabas to, 
and through, the island of Cyprus; but when they came to Pam- 
phylia, he left them, and, as Paul thought, without any justifiable 
reason returned to Jerusalem. 

Barnabas was naturally attached to his kinsman, and thought it 
would be mutually advantageous to give his cousin another trial. 
We have no means of knowing why John did not continue in the 
missionary service. It was certainly for some reason that com- 
mended itself to Barnabas, but not to Paul. And this difference of 
judgment grew into feelings of personal alienation. We have rea- 
son to believe that this element of personal bitterness did not long 
continue ; but, while it lasted, it led to sharp contention and division. 



Verse 37. The advancement of kindred by those in official station should 
be done with extreme care, and chiefly on the judgment of others. Even 
the children of foreign missionaries may not always wisely be inducted into 
the foreign missionary service. 



3. The right of it, — vs. 38. 

We have hardly sufficient data for reaching a just and impartial 
determination of the question, — Who had the right of it in this 
quarrel? But it looks as if we should be compelled, on the whole, 
to decide in favor of Paul. The judgment of Barnabas was likely 
to be biased in favor of John by the fact that he was his kinsman. 
It is altogether probable, too, that Barnabas, with his usual great- 
heartedness, may have thought that, notwithstanding his previous 
conduct, John possessed admirable qualifications for the mission- 

245 



XV: 38] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

ary service, and that it was hardly fair to turn him down after a 
single trial. 

But Paul's judgment was more likely to be clearer than his 
companion's. The desire to advance one's kindred in Church or 
State has always been a great temptation, and has grown to be a 
great evil, in which private interests override the public good. The 
case of Barnabas and Mark is a suggestive instance of incipient 
nepotism, which deserves the frowns of all good men, and merited 
the disapprobation of the apostle Paul. 

It is further noticeable that Paul's objection to Mark was 
founded on the latter's withdrawal from the work, and that, too, 
just when it was becoming more and more difficult, and when his 
services would be more and more needed. He had been quite will- 
ing to be a missionary among his kindred in Cyprus, but lost heart 
for the service apparently as they turned their faces to the moun- 
tainous regions of Phrygia. Such a man, Paul thought, was not 
of the right kind of stuff to make a missionary. He had put his 
hand to the plow, and, looking back, demonstrated his unfitness 
for a life of self-denying evangelism. 

That this view of Paul commended itself to the Church as the 
right one seems to be evidenced by the fact that, while Barnabas, 
taking Mark, sailed away to Cyprus without apparently any notice 
to, or commendatory farewell from, the Church, Paul and Silas 
went forth "being commended by the brethren to the grace of the 
Lord." 

Verse 37. It is a valid objection to accepting a candidate for service, to 
be overcome, indeed, by other considerations, that he at one time "went not 
to the work." — Vs. 39. Good men are not perfect. In all personal quarrels 
the wrong is not usually all on one side. — Vss. 39-40^. If workers cannot 
agree it is better to separate and each work on his own line; only let each 
be sure he carries the Divine Spirit in his working. — Vs. 39. Differences in 
judgment, and as to matters of principle, should not lead to personal aliena- 
tion, — Vs. 40. It is a great matter to be commended by the Church to the 
grace of God in the work to which we are commissioned. 



4. The consequences of it, — vss. 

We study this contention between Paul and Barnabas with feel- 
ings of sadness. Good men sooner or later must get over their 
quarrels ; and this one evidently did not last long. Paul soon after 

246 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 39-40 



bears honorable testimony to the high character of Barnabas (Gal. 
2:13), and still later testifies to Mark's usefulness in the ministry 
(2 Tim. 4:11). But their co-working in the missionary service 
seems to have almost ended with that first missionary journey. It 
must have been an embarrassing question which confronted Barna- 
bas in Cyprus, and Paul in Derbe, Lystra, etc., — Where is your 
old comrade? 

But God overruled the controversy to the doubling of the mis- 
sionary forces; and two bands went forth to publish the glad 
tidings where it had been man's plan to send but one. 



Verse 40. God sometimes makes the foibles and differences of His 
servants to increase the working force of those who serve Him. 

Vss. 36-41. The Quarrel of Barnabas and Saul. 

I. Probability is no certain guide for us in judging the future, 

n. Little things are often more trying to the temper than great. 

HI. Christianity allows scope for discretionary action. 

IV. The best men are not absolutely infallible. 

V. Under the gracious rule of Heaven evil is made subservient to the prog- 
ress of good. 

VI. Earnest work will inevitably rectify our tempers, — (The Homilist.) 



Sub-section 2— Old and New Places, — 15:41 16:10. 

41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the Churches. 

I And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra : and behold a certain disciple 
was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess that believed ; but his father 
was a Greek. 2 The same was well reported of by the brethren that were 
at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Him would Paul have to go forth with them; 
and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those 
parts : for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 And, as they went 
on their way through the cities, they delivered them the decrees to keep 
which had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem. 
5 So the Churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number 
daily. 

6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been 
forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they 
were come over against Mysia, they assaj^ed to go into Bithynia; but the 
Spirit of Jesus suffered them not. 8 And passing by Mysia, they came down 
to Troas. 



247 



XV:4i-XVI: 1-5] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a man of 
Macedonia, standing, beseeching him, and saying, Come over into Macedonia, 
and help us. lo And when he had seen the vision, straightway we sought to 
go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the 
Gospel unto them. 



I. The old places, — Syria and Cilicia, — Derhe and Lystra, — (Timothy). 2. 
The new places, — Phrygia, Galatia, and Troas — {The Macedonian Vi- 
sion). 



I. The Old Places, — vss. 41 16:1-5. 

In this second missionary journey Paul and Silas took the 
overland route through Asia Minor. The first part of the tour 
was through mountain passes and fastnesses, and ordinarily unsafe 
for small companies of travelers. Just at this time the dangers 
seemed reduced to a minimum, and the travelers passed through the 
Syrian Gates to the north of Antioch, and circling around the Gulf 
of Issus came into Cilicia. Thence, passing through the Amanian 
Gates, another mountain pass, they would come via Mopsuestia and 
the modern Adana to Tarsus. It was a region with which Paul was 
familiar. When sent away from Jerusalem to escape the rising 
storm of persecution, he tells the Galatians (1:21) that he came 
"into the regions of Syria and Cilicia," and doubtless all along 
that mountain-bound coast he preached the Gospel, and gathered 
at least the nuclei of Churches to be fostered later into strong 
Christian communities. 

From Tarsus the travelers, soon striking the Roman Military 
road connecting the two Antiochs, would pass via the famous 
Cilician Gates through the Taurian Mountains, and find themselves 
in the neighborhood of Derbe and Lystra, and other cities of 
Lycaonia. The whole journey from Antioch to Derbe would be 
through a wild and mountainous region, probably on foot, and 
through many difficulties, ''with perils of robbers" on every hand. 
At Derbe they would come to the place where the first missionary 
journey had ended. The annalist has nothing more to say of the 
little city. In another place we learn that Paul, either on this visit, 
or the preceding one, had been instrumental in winning one who 

248 



UNTO UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XV : 41-XVI : 1-5 



became one of his most faithful attendants. We know him only 
as "Gaius of Derbe." 

Luke's narrative brings to our notice another convert of this 
region destined to fill an important place in Paul's life and ministry. 
He had been converted during the apostle's previous visit. We 
know him as the ''well beloved Timothy." His was a singularly 
lovable character, and one of the most interesting of the apostolic 
history. He became the most intimate and faithful adjutant of the 
apostle Paul from this time on to the end of his missionary career 
and martyrdom. Deeply interesting is this record of the begin- 
nings of such a life-long fellowship. His mother Eunice and 
grandmother Lois, both at this time probably widows, were seri- 
ous-minded women of ''unfeigned faith," like the saints of the 
Advent, — Zachariah and Elizabeth, and Anna and Simeon, — "wait- 
ing for the consolation of Israel." But they were not, and neither 
are nor could be described as "devout according to the law," seeing 
that the mother Eunice had violated some of the most stringent 
provisions of that law in marrying outside the chosen race, and in 
neglecting the circumcision of her son. Yet that son had been 
most carefully instructed from his earliest years in the teachings 
of their sacred writings, — our Old Testament Scriptures. Their 
hearts had been opened of the Lord to the fullest revelation of 
Gospel grace under the preaching of Paul: and now this son is 
chosen by the great missionary to be his companion and helper in 
the evangelization of the empire. 

Two things were requisite to his preparation for this high 
destiny, — his circumcision and ordination. Paul circumcised Tim- 
othy and refused to circumcise Titus. Was Paul inconsistent ? No ! 
Why? He refused to circumcise Titus because it was demanded 
of him as a needful obedience to the law. This Paul denied, and 
in this way asserted his liberty. He circumcised Timothy in 
concession to the weakness of his Jewish brethren, and that the 
work of evangelization might not be hindered. Paul knew that, as 
heretofore so hereafter, the Gospel must in most places get its 
first pubHc hearing in the synagogue; and an uncircumcised man 
would be debarred access to all such places of assembly for any 
purposes of teaching. So he circumcised Timothy. 

The young adjutant was also solemnly ordained as an evange- 
list. Luke says nothing of this; but Paul tells us about it in his 

249 



XVI: 6-10] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

first letter to Timothy (4:14). It must have been a deeply interest- 
ing service in the little Church of Lystra. Timothy was well known 
and highly esteemed not only in Lystra, but also in Iconium; and 
some writers think the ordination took place in the city of Iconium. 
There is no evidence of this in Luke's narrative, or anywhere else. 
It is quite possible that elders from Iconium were present to take 
part in the ordination of the youthful missionary. His mother had 
taught him the fear of the Lord from infancy : and now, that her 
Lord and his was calling him to this great service, it must have 
been to her a day of mingled joy and sadness, when he is sum- 
moned to leave her in her widowhood ( ? ) , and give himself to the 
missionary work. 



Verse i. The obscure origin of many eminent men. Timothy a proto- 
type of many notable servants of God. Timothy's mother; when God wants 
a man for preeminent usefulness He usually intrusts his upbringing to godly 
and faithful parents. — Vs. 2. Candidates for the ministry should have an ex- 
cellent reputation among Christian people. — Vss. 4-5. The settlement of con- 
troversies in accordance with the will of God greatly increases the strength 
and numbers of the Church. 



2. The New Places, — vss. 6-10. 

The missionary deputation, thus reenforced, doubtless visited 
Iconium and Antioch in Pisidia, delivering here as elsewhere ''the 
decrees" of the Council in Jerusalem. Luke, however, says noth- 
ing of any visit to these Churches. At Antioch the many military 
roads branching out in all directions afforded the evangelists a 
choice of numerous places for the proclamation of their glad tid- 
ings. They seem to have chosen to go northward. Luke says only, 
"They went through Phrygia and the Galatian region." Some 
writers have gone so far as to name the cities which the mission- 
aries visited; but this, however plausible, is all guesswork. This 
much only is certain; — They founded Churches in this Galatian 
region, to whom not long after, from Ephesus apparently, Paul 
sent his letter to ''the Churches of Galatia." And we infer from 
that letter that their stay in that part of Asia Minor was much 
longer than had been intended, because of a serious illness which 
befell the writer. 

250 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI : 6-10 

When at last they were able to leave these elevated regions of 
central Asia Minor, they found themselves Divinely barred from 
going either north or south : and so passing through Mysia they 
came down to Alexandria Troas, near the plain and shore of old 
Ilium. They were here come to the end of the eastern continent, 
and were looking out upon the island-dotted waters of the Great 
Sea. Beyond those islands lay a continent enshrouded in the 
gloom of heathen darkness. It is a notable fact that from these 
Trojan shores, now for the first time trodden by the missionaries 
of the cross, just one point of continental Europe was visible. 
Mount Athos, afterward famous as a center of monastic life and 
learning, rose above the far western horizon; and in the rays of 
the setting sun shone as a burnished point of yellow-colored flame. 
Catching its brilliant finger in the deepening twilight the Oriental 
travelers, wondering what providence had brought them down to 
the ^gean waters, turned in for the night, to be enlightened by 
the Macedonian Vision. 

The opulence of Divine resources in communicating the will of 
God to His servants is suggestivety exemplified in this narrative. 
We have seen that the Holy Spirit was taking an active part in 
the missionary propaganda. This is especially noticeable in this 
second missionary journey, and particularly in this part of it, 
where the Gospel is about to be introduced on another continent, 
and to begin its triumphs over the western world. It was the Holy 
Spirit who forbade the evangelists at present to evangelize the 
province of Asia. It was the "Spirit of Jesus" who would not 
suffer them at this time to go into Bithynia. And, having thus 
hedged up their way on either hand down to the coast, the Master 
now makes known His will to them in the vision, as some think, of 
a Macedonian soldier entreating intervention and help, — ^^"Come 
over into Macedonia and help us." By a vision Peter was led to 
open "the door of faith" to uncircumcised Gentiles. By a vision 
Paul is led to swing wide the gates of Gospel grace to the nations 
of another continent. 

In the beginning of this work, new in place and people, Paul 
is to have another coadjutor. Luke, "the beloved physician," here 
joins the evangelistic forces. He is thought by many writers to 
have been a native of Syrian Antioch,— by others to have been a 
Macedonian. How he comes to meet Paul and his company here 

251 



XVI: 6-10] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



at Troas is not told us. It is a plausible conjecture that Paul's 
friends came to realize, after his severe and trying illness in Galatia, 
that he needed the constant care and oversight of a medical attend- 
ant; and so they procured the services of Luke, who remained with 
the company till their departure from Philippi. At any rate, in 
the narrative covering this part of the second missionary journey, 
Luke writes as a member of the company, using always the first 
person plural, whereas hitherto he has written in the third person. 
It is now no longer ''They did so and so," but "We." "Straightway 
we sought to go forth into Macedonia, concluding that God had 
called us to preach the Gospel unto them." 



Verse 6. The Gospel is Divinely prohibited anywhere in the world only 
for a season. The Seven Churches of the Revelation, as would seem, were 
almost, if not all, subsequently planted in this territory now under ban. — 
Vs. 7. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. — Vs. 10. They who follow 
the Divine leading will not be left in ignorance of the right way. — ^Vs. 9. 
We hear much of the "INIacedonian Cry." As a matter of fact, — Oh, the 
sadness of it! — there is no such cry. The people in most urgent need are 
the most unconscious of their low estate, and are voiceless of any desire for 
help. — ^Vs. 9. "The man of Macedonia turned out to be a woman." — {Bonar.) 

Vss. 6-13. Paul Sent into Macedonia. 

I. God guides him. 
11. The world needs and calls him. 
III. Success attends him. — {Kelsey, Rev. Henry S.) 

Vs. 7. "Come Over and Help Us." 

I. The vision. 

n. The appeal. — {Hastings , Rev. Dr. James.") 

Vs. 7. The Baffling of the Spirit. 

I. The baffling of our childish dreams. 

II. The baffling of our maturer hopes. 

III. The baffling of our attempts at self-expression. 

IV. The baffling of the cravings of the heart. 

V. The baffling of our desires for rest. — {Morrison, Rev. G. H.) 

Vss. 8-16. Paul's Third Vision. 

The distinctive character of Christianity. 
I. Its benevolence. 

II. Its influence. 

III. Its ministration. — {The Homilist.) 



252 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI: ii 

Vs. 9. Christianity the Helper of Humanity. 
I. Christianity a system for helping men. 

II. Christianity a system for helping men through the agency of men. 

{The Homilist.) 

Sub-section 3. — At Philip pi, — vss. 11-40. 

(a), — The Praying Place— vss. 11-13. 

11 Setting sail, therefore, from Troas, we made a straight course to 
Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis ; 

12 And from thence to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the first 
of the district, a Roman colony: and we were in this city tarrying certain 
days. 

13 And on the Sabbath day we went forth without the gate by a river- 
side, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down, and 
spake to the women that were come together. 



I. The voyage, — vs. 11, 2. The city of Philippi, — vs. 12. 3. The river-side, 
— vs, 13. 



I. The voyage, — vs. 11. 

It was a small but notable company that set sail on that short 
and memorable journey. Paul and Silas, Timothy and Luke, were 
the known members of that immortal band. There may have been 
others. A quiet sea and favoring winds brought them in two days 
over a course which in a subsequent return journey the apostle was 
able to cover only in five days. With Tenedos, Imbros and Lemnos 
on the left, they seem to have crossed almost at the mouth of the 
Dardanelles, making for Samothrace, under the lee of whose 
sheltering north shores they anchored for the night. The next 
day, slipping in between the island of Thasos and the continental 
shores, they soon came to their landing-place in the harbor of 
Kavala, known in those days as Neapolis, and related to Philippi 
as the Piraeus was to Athens, Ostia to Rome, or Seleucia to Antioch, 
being the seaport of the more important city, — in this case a "co- 
lonia," or miniature Rome. 

Vss. 11-15. The Gospel in Europe. 

I. The first Gospel in Europe. 
II. The first Gospel hearer in Europe. 
III. The first Gospel convert in Europe. — {The Homilist.) 

253 



XVI: 12] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. The city of Philippi, — vs. 12. 

This city was separated from Neapolis, and from the sea, at a 
distance of ten miles, by a long, low extension of the Pangseus 
range of mountains running down from the higher ridges of upper 
Macedonia. It was originally known as Krenides, or *'The 
Springs," from the fountains of water abounding in the vicinity, 
its name being changed by Alexander the Great to Philippi, in honor 
of his father, Philip of Macedon. The city was planted on the 
banks of the little river Gangites (modern Angista), and on the 
edge of the historic plain, where in the autumn of 42 B. C. the 
republicans of Rome fought their last great battle, going down 
to defeat before the Imperial Power. 

In the period, well-nigh a century since that memorable con- 
flict, Philippi had risen to a position of first-class importance, and 
had been endowed with some unusual privileges, the chief of which 
was that it had been made by Augustus a "colonia." "The Roman 
colonies w^ere primarily intended as military safeguards of the 
frontier. . . . The colonists went out with all the pride of 
Roman citizens, to represent and reproduce the city in the midst 
of an alien population. . . . Their names were still enrolled in 
one of the Roman tribes. Every traveler who passed through a 
Roman colony saw there the insignia of Rome. He heard the Latin 
language, and was amenable in the strictest sense to the Roman 
law." The citizens' affairs were regulated by their own magis- 
trates; and they were not subject in any way to the jurisdiction of 
the Proconsul of the Province, — whose headquarters at this time 
were at Thessalonica. 

Verse 12. Philippi's comparative importance as a "colonia" of Rome, 
and as a seat of the first Church of Christ in Europe. Brutus and Cassius, 
Antony and Octavius, with their contending legions dyed the little river with 
human gore; on its retired banks a few women met to pray, and hear the 
missionaries of the Cross. Which event was the most influential in turning 
the tide of human history? 



3. The riverside, — vs. Jj. 

In this noted city our Oriental travelers found their first rest- 
ing-place on European soil. Their first inquiry must have been 

254 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI : 13 



for a place where their message might gain a hearing. And it 
seems to have soon appeared that there was no synagogue in the 
city, — an indication that there were very few Jews in the ''colony/' 
which indeed was not strange. The evangelists evidently did not 
think it wise to begin in the market-place. At Athens, indeed, Paul 
went to the agora, or market-place, and also to the Areopagus, but 
to the latter only on invitation. And this gave him standing with 
his hearers. Even in our day the street preacher must find some 
common ground on which he and his hearers may stand, and where 
he may build. Some such common ground for themselves and their 
audience the missionaries sought in Philippi. They sought in vain, 
till they came to the "Praying Place." This was outside the city 
walls, and on the banks of the Gangites. From what they had 
heard they supposed that they had found a place where it was 
customary to meet to pray. There were not enough "devout" souls 
in Philippi to form a synagogue; but by common consent here in 
some retired spot on the banks of the little stream a few, chiefly 
women, met for prayer, — probably on the seventh day suspending 
for a few hours their little trafficking, and coming together for 
the purpose of reading the law and chanting the songs of Zion. 

Hither came the evangelistic company, and sitting in the quiet 
spot "spake to the women that were come together." Would that 
we might have heard that first message of the Gospel on the new 
continent! Would that Luke might have gathered up some few 
sentences from that saving sermon ! We may not know what Paul 
said. But we may be sure it was the same good news he had 
preached throughout Asia Minor, — in Syria and Cilicia, in Da- 
mascus and old Jerusalem. 



(b) Lydia, the Seller of Purple, — vss. 14-15. 

14 And a certain woman, named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of 
Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us : whose heart the Lord opened 
to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul. 

15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, 
saying. If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, 
and abide there. And she constrained us. 



I. Her home, — vs. 14. 2. Her occupation, — vs. 14. 3. Her character, — vs. 14. 
4. Her conversion, — vss. 14-15. 5. Her Christian hospitality, — vs. 15. 

255 



XVI: 14] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



I. Her home, — vs. 14. 

The city of Thyatira was situated on the banks of the Lycus, 
in the Province of Asia, in western Asia Minor. It was founded 
by Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the Syrian Antioch. Though 
it afterward became the seat of one of the Seven Churches of the 
Revelation, at this time it was noted chiefly as a Macedonian 
colony, and stood in the territory in which the missionaries for some 
unexplained reason were at present forbidden to proclaim the Gos- 
pel. It was a city of diversified industries ; and at a later date we 
find evidences of the existence of many corporate guilds. Among 
them are specially mentioned ''robe-makers" and "dyers." 



2. Her occupation, — vs. 14. 

Lydia was a business woman. In those days women were not 
ordinarily engaged in the world's traffic. But for the sale of the 
wares manufactured in Thyatira, especially the colored fabrics and 
robes, we can well imagine the service of a capable woman would 
be well-nigh indispensable. Lydia was a seller of purple. And 
in the extension of her trade it was natural that she should journey 
from her native city, — "a Macedonian colony," — into far-off Mace- 
donia itself. Still further, it was natural that she should establish 
her headquarters in Philippi, — a miniature Rome, where, with its 
aping of imperial customs and costumes, there would be extraor- 
dinary demands for her purple robes and brilliantly dyed fabrics 
of various hues. Her business success seemed to justify the wis- 
dom of her choice of a business home. She was evidently pros- 
perous and in good circumstances, with a house large enough, and 
means affluent enough, to entertain the missionary deputation from 
the Syrian Capital. 



3. Her character, — vs. 14. 

Lydia was a Jewess, or at least a proselyte to the Jewish faith, 
and carried her religion with her business, even though she went 
far from home. Whether she closed her shop on the sabbath or 

250 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI : 14-1 5 



not, we are not told : but we know that on one Saturday she was 
at the "Place of Prayer," at the riverside. And this seems to have 
been her custom, for in the historian's most descriptive feature of 
her character she is spoken of as "one that worshipped God." 
Waiting for the light she sought the company of those of like seri- 
ous mind, in the midst of the abounding idolatries of the Roman 
and Romanized city. 



4. Her conversion, — vss. 14-15. 

The acceptance by Lydia of Jesus of Nazareth as her Saviour 
is of special value in our day and land, because it is typical of the 
change which all must experience, however upright in life and 
noble in character, if they would be saved. She was a worthy 
woman, seemingly of admirable character and blameless Hfe; but, 
though a worshipper of God, she as yet knew not Jesus, and was 
ignorant of the only true way of salvation. But her heart was 
opened by the Lord so that she attended unto the things which 
were spoken by Paul. The two conversions recorded in this chap- 
ter, Lydia's and the jailer's, differ greatly in their attendant cir- 
cumstances. But they are alike in the two main essentials. Both 
were wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and in both cases the 
instrumentality used was the Divine Word. 

Lydia's baptism and that of her household followed; and they 
were all enrolled among the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. The 
faithful woman could not have been blind to the probable sacri- 
fices this step would involve. Her business would probably be 
ruined. Her best customers were doubtless among the titled and 
great of the city. The Duumviri, who would be called Praetors, 
and the entire patrician class, were not likely to be seen much longer 
in her house, after it became known that she had alHed herself 
with these emissaries of an intolerant and pestiferous sect, "every- 
where spoken against." But none of these things could keep this 
faithful woman from the public confession of her faith in her 
Divine Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 



Verse 14. Nothing is too expensive to God for the salvation of a soul. 
As He sent Philip to the desert road for the conversion of a man who 
might have been reached in Jerusalem; so here He sends a preacher over 

257 



XVI: 14-15] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



into another continent to bring salvation to a woman whom He had brought 
across the sea to hear the word of Hfe. — Vs. 14b. Many of blameless life 
carry hearts that are closed to the knowledge of Jesus and the way of salva- 
tion. — Vs. 14b. The awakened soul will give heed to the spoken word. 

Verse 15a. The true convert will confess Christ in holy baptism; and, 
if the head of a house, will seek baptism for all under his roof. — Vs. 15b. 
Hospitality, especially to God's ministering servants^ when on the Lord's 
errand, is a Christian duty. In this way, as possibly in no other, we can 
help to bear the expense of publishing the glad tidings. 

Vs. 14. Conversion. 
I. The agent, — the Lord who opens the heart. 

II. The instrument, — the Word, to which the awakened soul attends. 

Vss. 14-15. The Conversion of Lydia. 

I. The means of her conversion. 

n. The evidences of her conversion. — (Simeon's Horn HomileticcB.) 

Vss. 13-14. Lessons from Lydia's Conversion. 

I. The conversion itself. 

II. Contrasted with that of the jailer. \ 

III. Compared with the same. 

IV. Type and model of multitudes of conversions in our day. 

(Spurgeon.) 

Vs. 14. The Ideal Reformation. 

I. A reformation effected in the center of existence. 
II. A reformation originated by a Divine Agency. 

HI. A reformation which brought the soul into the highest discipleship, 

(The Homilist.) 

Vss. 13-16. The Conversion of Lydia. 

I. What she was before conversion. 

II. What she did toward her own conversion. 

III, What God did in her conversion. 

IV. The fruits of her conversion. — (Gerherding, Rev. G. H.) 

Vs. 14. The First Cox\^rt in Europe. 

I. The universal presence of the Hearer of Prayer. 
II. The silent and unobtrusive progress of the Gospel. 

III. The marvellous intricacy with which the Kingdom of Providence works 
into the Kingdom of Grace in the conversion of souls. 

258 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI : 16-17 



IV. The immediate evidences which the Spirit of God furnishes to every 
believer, when a genuine w^ork of grace has been wrought in his 
soul, — 

1. The open heart. 

2. The open mind. 

3. The open mouth. 

4. The open hand. 

5. The open house. — (Robinson, Rev. Dr. Charles S.) 



(c) The Pythoness, — vss. ig-22. 

16 And it came to pass, as we were going to the place of prayer, that a 
certain maid, having a spirit of divination, met us, who brought her masters 
much gain by soothsaying. 17 The same following after Paul and us cried 
out, saying. These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim 
unto you the way of salvation. 

18 And this she did for many days. But Paul, being sore troubled, 
turned and said to the spirit, I charge thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
to come out of her. And it came out that very hour. 

19 But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they 
laid hold on Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the market-place before 
the rulers, 20 and when they had brought them unto the magistrates, they 
said. These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, 21 and set 
forth customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being 
Romans. 22 And the multitude rose up together against them : and the mag- 
istrates rent their garments off them, and commanded to beat them with 
rods. 



I. The demoniacal possession, — vss. 16-17. 2. The maid delivered, — vs. 18. 
3. The missionaries arrested, — vss. iQ-22. 



I. The demoniacal possession, — vss. 16-i'j. 

As the apostles went to the 'Troseuche," or Place of Prayer, 
they were met by a poor girl, who was possessed of a spirit of divi- 
nation, literally a pythonic spirit, or spirit of the python, that 
fabled monster serpent that was supposed to guard the shrine of 
the Delphic Oracle. She followed the evangelists and, impelled 
by the spirit who dominated her being, bore testimony to their high 
character and heavenly mission, — "These men are servants of the 
Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation." 
This she did for many days. 

259 



XVI:i6-i7] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



There are four explanations of this episode in Paul's mission- 
ary experience: — (i) The girl was afflicted with a mild form of 
lunacy, in which the patient sometimes exhibits remarkable shrewd- 
ness and almost preternatural acumen: — (2) It was a case of epi- 
lepsy, in which often the seizure is marked by the utterance of 
words and thoughts of which, after the return to a normal state, 
there is no recollection, and the origin of which is inexplicable: — 
(3) It was a case of ventriloquism; here was no dual conscious- 
ness; the girl was in the possession of all her mental powers, but, 
being a bad girl in the employ of wicked men, she pretended to 
give forth, in the utterance of a ventriloquist, the enigmatical oracles 
which brought so much gain to her owners: — (4) She was really 
possessed of a demon, like many in Palestine in the days of our 
Lord's earthly ministry. 

This last seems to be the most satisfactory explanation of the 
various phenomena exhibited in the case, though much that is 
plausible can be said, and is said, in support of the other three 
views. The decisive elements in the case are these; — (i) The girl's 
being was dominated by a personality distinct from her own; — 

(2) That personaHty used the girl's powers of speech for the 
statement of facts which she herself was not likely to know; — 

(3) Paul addressed, not the slave-girl, but the spirit which had 
taken possession of her, and commanded him, in the name of 
Jesus Christ, to come out of her; — (4) He came out; and imme- 
diately, as her owners saw and confessed, her power of delphic 
utterance was gone. 

If now it be objected to this explanation that no spirit of evil 
would be likely to advertise the character and w^ork of the mission- 
aries of the Cross, it is enough to reply that this is just what the 
demons did in the days of our Lord, when they cried out, "We 
know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God." And neither 
the Lord, nor the Lord's apostle, was willing to accept the testi- 
mony of evil spirits, however true. 



Verse 16. The devil often meets people, even on the way to Church. — 
Vs. 16. A wicked business will not observe the Sabbath, nor suffer others 
to keep it. — ^Vs. 17. Evil powers must often give involuntary testimony to 
the truth. — Vs. 17b. The character and mission of the Christian ministry. 

260 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI : i8 



2. The maid delivered, — vs. i8. 

Paul was sore troubled by the case of the poor slave-girl. The 
cause he sought to advance was not to be helped by the involun- 
tary cries of the demoniac. The spirits of evil may tell the truth 
under compulsion, but who would willingly receive their testi- 
mony? The apostle's heart also was doubtless wrung with an- 
guish and sympathy for the afflicted slave. But he waited for 
long. He endured the trial many days. But at last he could stand 
it no longer; and he determined to secure her deliverance. But 
he recognized his own impotence, and invoked the power and 
mercy of his Divine Lord. And soon there dawned the day of 
Divine intervention. Paul turned to the loud-mouthed demoniac, 
and said, 'T charge thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out 
of her." And he came out that very hour. The powers of dark- 
ness could not stand before the Almighty Son of God ! 



Verse i8. The inadequacy of all explanations of this event that rule out 
the supernatural. — Vs. i8b. The Lord Jesus is the Master of the world of 
demons. 



3. The missionaries arrested, — vss. iQ-22. 

The men to whom the pythoness belonged saw that their lucra- 
tive business had been immediately and irretrievably ruined by the 
intermeddling of these foreign Jews ! It was nothing to them that 
the poor slave had been delivered from bondage to an evil power. 
Their business had been totally destroyed. And they laid hold of 
the chief men of the missionary deputation, Paul and Silas, and 
"dragged them into the market-place before the rulers," loud in 
their complaints. They were shrewd enough, however, to conceal 
their self-interest in the cause now laid before the Duumviri. It 
was not, they would have the magistrates understand, that they 
had themselves suffered great financial loss through these foreign- 
ers, but that the religious customs of their imperial city were being 
endamaged, and the people were being seduced to an unlawful 
religion. So the silversmiths of Ephesus were disturbed not by 
the waning sale of the silver shrines, but by the growing disrepute 

261 



XVI: 19-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



of the Great Diana of the Ephesians ! Any reHgion that hurts the 
pocketbook is an impertinence ! The Gadarenes would rather have 
their hogs than the Son of God ! The magistrates of Phihppi lent 
a willing ear, prejudiced and unjust, to the hypocritical charges 
of the slave-owners, apparently made no inquiry into the facts ; and 
hastily stripping the accused commanded them to be beaten with 
the lictors' rods, and hurried them to prison. 



Verse 21. Even wicked men find it difficult to make gains in wicked 
ways till they first blind their e}'es to the wicked character of those ways. 
Such men add to their unlawful doings the sin of hj-pocrisy; and would find 
excuse for their wickedness in the supposed evil-doings of others. — Vs. 22. 
Unjust judges poison the fountains of justice. 

(d) The Jailer, — vss. 23-40. 

23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into 
prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely: 24 who, having received such 
a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the 
stocks. 

25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns 
unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them ; 26 and suddenly there 
was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were 
shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened; and every one's bands 
were loosed. 27 And the jailer, being roused out of sleep, and seeing the 
prison doors open, drew his sword, and was about to kill himself, supposing 
that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried, with a loud voice, saying. 
Do thyself no harm : for we are all here. 29 And he called for lights and 
sprang in, and, trembling for fear, fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and 
brought them out and said. Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they 
said. Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. 
32 And they spake the word of the Lord unto him, with all that were in his 
house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their 
stripes ; and was baptized, he and all his, immediately. 34 And he brought 
them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with 
all his house, having believed in God. 

35 But when it was day. the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying. Let 
those men go. 36 And the jailer reported the words to Paul, saying. The 
magistrates have sent to let you go : now, therefore, come forth, and go in 
peace. 37 But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us publich", uncon- 
demned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison ; and do they 
now cast us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and bring 
us out. 38 And the sergeants reported these words unto the magistrates : and 
they feared when they heard that they were Romans ; 39 and they came and 
besought them; and when they had brought them out, they asked them to 

262 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI : 23-24 



go away from the city. 40 And they went out of the prison, and entered 
into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they com- 
forted them, and departed. 



I. His needless cruelty, — vss. 23-24. 2. His conversion, — vss. 25-34. 3. The 
release of his prisoners, — vss. 35-40. 



I. His needless cruelty, — vss. 2^-24. 

The hasty and illegal procedure of the Duumviri of Philippi con- 
signed the defenceless evangelists to the custody of a cruel jailer. 
And his cruelty had here fitting and abundant opportunity to mani- 
fest itself. It may be said, indeed, in his behalf that he was a 
faithful keeper of the prison, and that such precautions as he took 
for the safeguarding of his prisoners were justified by the special 
injunctions of the magistrates. And this was measurably true. But 
we can hardly think it was necessary for him to confine them in 
the subterranean part of the prison-house, — the dungeon, not better 
probably if not worse than Paul's prison in Rome, the Mamertine. 
This the jailer seems to have done, for Luke's suggestive phrase, 
after the jailer's conversion, is ''he brought them up into his 
house." 

It was an additional mark of cruelty, gratuitous and unneces- 
sary, that down in that dungeon and darkness he clamped their 
feet in the stocks, and compelled them to spend the night in the 
excruciating torture of a constrained situation in which bodily rest 
would be an impossibility. The dungeon and the darkness and the 
stocks were needless for the safekeeping of the imprisoned mis- 
sionaries. They were the uncalled-for elements of torture roughly 
applied to suffering saints by an excessively cruel nature. 

But his cruel reign was brief. The Lord had thoughts of mercy 
for His servants, and for their keeper, the jailer, as well. 

Vs. 24. In the Stocks. 

I. Contentment in our stocks. 
II. We must use our stocks as a stimulus and inspiration. 
III. We must act to the very limit of our freedom. 

{Smith, Rev. Dr. Wilton-Merle.) 

26^ 



XVI: 25-34] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. His conversion, — vss. 25-34. 

The annalist tells the story of the jailer's conversion in a suc- 
cession of deeply interesting particulars, (i) He tells us of the 
prison prayers and songs. The Lord was with His servants; and 
His grace enabled them to triumph over their afflictions. The agony 
of the stocks and the bruising of the lictors' rods must have pre- 
vented sleep. But they were powerless to silence the voice of prayer 
and praise. These were unwonted sounds in that Philippian prison. 
Their fellow-prisoners wakened, heard and were amazed. (2) The 
Lord in that midnight hour manifested His power for the deliver- 
ance of His servants. "And suddenly there was a great earth- 
quake, so that the foundations of the prison-house were shaken: 
and immediately all the doors were opened; and every one's bands 
were loosed." The narrative makes it plain that this earthquake 
was something more than a merely natural phenomenon. The 
quaking of the ground, even to the shaking of the foundations, might 
have been such ; as also the opening of the prison doors : but the 
loosening of every prisoner's chains was not the work of a natural 
seismic convulsion. There was here a manifest intervention of God, 
in which the prisoners and their jailer were alike concerned. The 
jailer realized this, and while his first hurried impulse was to 
anticipate the judgment of death, which he knew awaited him if 
his prisoners had escaped, his next and profoundest conviction 
was that he was in the power of One mightier far than Rome, and 
that he was exposed to the blastings of His wrath. (3) Then burst 
forth the cry of anguish, as falling at the apostles' feet he gave 
utterance to the agonizing question of a convicted soul, — "Sirs, 
what must I do to be saved?" He came to the sudden and over- 
whelming realization that he was a lost man, — not lost through any 
dereliction of duty to the magistrates. His anxieties in this direc- 
tion were already relieved; but there remained the awful concern 
of a soul self-condemned for the sins of an iniquitous life, standing 
at the bar of a just and holy God. How had he, an ignorant 
heathen, come to any understanding of his sinful nature, his rela- 
tions to a Supreme Being, and the claims of a Divine Law? The 
answer is not far to seek. He was living under the reign of law; 
and he had learned the nature of wrongdoing as related to human 
justice. The preaching of the apostles, — something of the nature 

264 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVI : 25-34 



of which he had doubtless heard, especially of wrongdoing and sin 
against God, and of a Saviour from sin, — under the quickening 
of the Divine Spirit led him to see himself as a sinner against 
God, and to cry, as David of old, "Against Thee, Thee only, have I 
sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight." (4) Then followed imme- 
diately the message of the Gospel, — "BeHeve on the Lord Jesus, 
and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house." This, of course, was 
but an epitome of what Paul said. The proclamation of Jesus of 
Nazareth as the risen Redeemer exalted at the right hand of God 
to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of 
sin; — these were the saving truths on which the convicted jailer 
was invited to rest. They thus spake the word of the Lord unto 
him with all that were in his house. (5) The narrative sketches in 
rapid outline the final stages in the turning of these pagans to the 
Lord and the constitution of another Christian home in Philippi. 
The jailer and his household, confessing Christ, were baptized, 
and entered upon the new life with new joy. He brought the 
suffering witnesses up out of the dungeon, washed their stripes, and 
fed them at his own table, and "rejoiced greatly, with all his house, 
having believed in God." 



Verse 32. Our households are bound up with us in the privileges and 
responsibilities of the Gospel. — Vs. 33. The bearing of the household bap- 
tisms mentioned in this chapter on the mode of administering the Sacrament 
is worthy of careful consideration. — Vs. 40. The joy of a believing family 
in the fellowship of Christian service. 



I. How they came to sing. 
II. When they sang. 

III. Where they sang. 

IV. What they sang. 

V. The effect of their song. 

1. On the prisoners. 

2. On the apostles themselves. 

3. On the jailer. — {Leavitt, Rev. G. R.) 



Vs. 25. Songs in the Night. 



I. 
II. 
III. 



Their , inspiration, — Jesus. 

Their independence of circumstances. 

A wonder to all auditors. 



Vs. 25. Paul and Silas Singing in Prison. 



26s 



XVI: 25-31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 25. Paul and Silas in Prison. 



I. Happy in the comparative estimate of their gain and their loss. 
II. Happy in the assurance that their sufferings were the means of great 
good. 

III. Happy in their love for Him for whom they suffered. 

(Taylor, Rev. Dr. N. W.) 



Vs. 30. The Great Question. 



I. A question of the anxious. 
II. A question of the willing. 
III. A question of the responsible. 



Vs. 30. The Great Query. 

I. Implies a lost condition. 
II. That something must be done. 

III. That something must be done now. — {Wadsworth, Rev. Dr. Charles.) 



Vs. 30. Anxiety. 

I. A courteous question. 

II. A practical question. 

III. A personal question. 

IV. Of incomparable importance. 

V. Of one crushed out by his misfortunes. 

VI. Hasty, urgent, and immediate. — {Talmage, Rev. Dr. T. Dewitt.) 



Vs. 31. The Great Answer. 

I. Remarkable for what it does not contain. 
II. Notable for its singular simplicity. 

III. The faith here required takes its noticeable characteristics from its cir- 
cumstances. 

Vs. 31. Faith and Salvation. 

I. The nature ^ 
II. The object y of faith. 

III. The effect J (Five Hundred Sketches.) 

Vss. 2g-3i. The Philippian Jailer, or Conversion. 

I. The initiative stages of conversion. 
II. The exclusive means of conversion. 
III. The glorious issue of conversion. — (The Homilist.) 

266 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVH : 1-15 



Vss. 30-31. What Must I Do to Be Saved? 



I. 
11. 
III. 



The scene in the prison. 
The question. 

The answer. — (Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 



Vss. 32-34. Household Salvation. 



A whole household. 
I. Hearing the word, 
n. Believing, 
ni. Being baptized. 
IV. At work for God. 
V. All rejoicing. — {Spurge on.) 



Sub-section 4. — At Thessalonica and Bercea, — 17:1-15. 

I Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they 
came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews : 2 and Paul, as 
his custom was, went in unto them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with 
them from the Scriptures, 3 opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ 
to sufifer, and to rise again from the dead ; and that this Jesus, whom, said 
he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ. 4 And some of them were persuaded, 
and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multi- 
tude, and of the chief women not a few. 5 But the Jews, being moved with 
jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and, gathering a 
crowd, set the city on an uproar, and, assaulting the house of Jason, they 
sought to bring them forth to the people. 6 And when they found them 
not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, 
crying. These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also ; 
7 whom Jason hath received : and these all act contrary to the decrees of 
Csesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8 And they troubled 
the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things, g 
And when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto 
Beroea; who, when they were come thither, went into the synagogue of the 
Jews. II Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that 
they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures 
daily, whether these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed; 



Vs. 37. Christian Dignity. 



I. Right I 
II. Wrongj 



ways and times of asserting it. 



267 



XVII: 1-9] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



also of the Greek women of honorable estate, and of men not a few. 13 But 
when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was pro- 
claimed of Paul at Bercea also, they came thither likewise, stirring up and 
troubling the multitudes. 14 And then immediately the brethren sent forth 
Paul to go as far as to the sea : and Silas and Timothy abode there still. 
15 But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving 
a commandment unto Silas and Tim.othy that they should come to him with 
all speed, they departed. 



I. Thessalonica, — vss. i-g. 2. Bercea, — vss. 10-15. 



I. Thessalonica, — vss. i-p. 

One of the great military roads of the Roman Empire extended 
from Gypsela on the river Hebrus, near the Hellespont, to Dyrra- 
chium on the Adriatic shore, nearly opposite the modern Brindisi. 
It was about five hundred miles in length. One hundred miles 
of this famous Via Egnatia, as it was called, were trodden by Paul 
and Silas as they journeyed from Philippi to Thessalonica. It led 
them through Amphipolis, thirty-three miles from Philippi, and 
Apollonia, thirty miles further, to Thessalonica, thirty-seven miles 
still further, or one hundred miles from their starting-point, and to 
about the center-point of the renowned highway. The mission- 
aries probably broke their journey, and tarried for a night in each 
of the two cities named in Luke's itinerary. Why Paul and Silas 
did not stop longer in Amphipolis and Apollonia we are not told. 
It seems probable that the promise of success in either place just 
at this time was not sufficient to over-balance the danger from their 
proximity to the city they were leaving, and where they had 
suffered such persecution. They seem to have thought it wiser 
to hasten on to the Proconsular Capital. Thessalonica was a ''free 
city," having its own local government, though it was at the same 
time the headquarters of the Proconsul of the Province. It was 
the largest and most important city on this part of the ^gean 
coast, next to Philippi, if indeed it was not larger than that 
''Colonia." It was beautifully situated at the head of the Thermaic 
Gulf, and was then, as it is now under its modern name of Saloniki, 
an important commercial emporium, a vast amount of merchandise 
both by land and sea passing through its gates. Other important 

268 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVH : 1-9 



places of the empire in the course of the centuries sank into obscur- 
ity if not oblivion, but Thessalonica has never lost its importance; 
and to-day, with a population of ioo,cx)0, it is the second city in 
size in the late European portion of the Turkish Empire. It was re- 
cently noted as the seat of the exiled Sultan. It is still noted 
for a feature, for which it was beginning to acquire some promi- 
nence even in Paul's day. There were many Jews in Thessalonica 
when Paul and Silas entered its gates. In modern times there are 
said to be over forty synagogues in the city; in Paul's time there 
was apparently but one. 

And to that one the missionaries soon made their way. It was 
Paul's custom so to do. The days of the week were doubtless given 
up to working for his daily bread. Work seems not to have been 
easy to obtain; and he wrought night and day for his living: and 
the beloved Church of Philippi once and again ministered to his 
necessities and of them that were with him. But the sabbath day 
furnished special opportunities for preaching Christ, and for evan- 
gelistic work. 

The subject matter of Paul's preaching was doubtless what it 
had been throughout his missionary tours, especially in all syna- 
gogues of the Jews. Luke's recapitulation of it therefore, in this 
passage, is of special interest. For three sabbath-days he met his 
Jewish kindred, and "reasoned with them from the scriptures, 
opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to 
rise again from the dead ; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I pro- 
claim unto you, is the Christ." 

It is worth our while to tarry here for a little time, and endeavor 
to get an impressive sense of the fullness of meaning in the in- 
spired historian's words, (i) Paul appealed to the rational nature 
of his countrymen. The Gospel he proclaimed courted their most 
searching examination. He ''reasoned with them." (2) The scrip- 
tures out of which Paul reasoned was our Old Testament. These 
were the sacred writings which all Jews in Paul's day, as truly as 
himself, accepted as the oracles of God. His discourse was, first 
of all, an "opening," or exposition, of the teaching of those scrip- 
tures touching the Person and Work of the Messiah. The Jews 
of the Dispersion, like those in Palestine, believed their Messiah 
was to come as a temporal sovereign to reign over Israel, and to 
subdue all nations to His and their dominion. (3) In this Paul 

269 



XVII: 1-9] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



believed his Jewish kindred were greatly mistaken. He found in 
those scriptures an entirely different Messiah foretold. According 
to his interpretation of those sacred writings it was necessary for 
the Messiah to suffer and to die. He was to be not only a Prince 
but also a Saviour. He was to save His people from their sins, by 
dying in their room and stead. So Philip had taught the Ethiopian 
Treasurer in the exposition of these same scriptures. (4) Still 
further Paul found in these scriptures the revelation of the Mes- 
siah's resurrection. He was not only to die a sacrifice for sin, but 
was also to rise again from the dead! It is well to stand here a 
moment. No matter how obscure the fact may seem to us, lost 
as it is in the brighter revelations of the New Testament, no candid 
person, who accepts the historicity of Luke's narrative, can fail 
to believe that Paul taught the Thessalonian Jews that the doctrine 
of the resurrection of the Messiah was a doctrine of our Old Tes- 
tament Scriptures. 

This completed the Apostle's work of exposition. He turns now 
to the testimony. In the second part of his preaching he endeavors 
to show that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled all the conditions of the 
prophetic writings, and had an irrefutable claim to be accepted 
and worshipped as the long-expected Messiah and Saviour of the 
world. The presentation of this part of his theme would neces- 
sarily involve some rehearsal of the life, ministry and miracles of 
the Nazarene. These foreign-born and abiding Jews probably 
knew a little of the events that had so recently transpired in the 
land of their fathers. But of much they must have been only 
partially informed. And the story of the great life, and the tragic 
death, and the glorious resurrection, as Paul could tell it, must 
have been surpassingly interesting. The entire credibility of the 
story, too, must have come home to these strangers of the House 
of Israel. The testimony of the witnesses could not but come to 
them with convincing power. Only twenty years had elapsed since 
the death and resurrection of the Messiah. Well-nigh five hundred 
living witnesses of the risen Saviour's appearance to them yet re- 
mained on earth. The Thessalonian Jews did not need to depend 
upon the word of the missionaries alone. But we can hardly doubt 
that Paul would set himself forth as a living and confident wit- 
ness of the resurrection of his Divine Lord. He afterward, again 
and again, told the story of "the heavenly vision," and it seems 

270 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVH : 1-9 



altogether probable that here, in presenting this part of his subject, 
he would dwell upon so convincing an evidence that Jesus of Naza- 
reth was the risen and glorified Messiah and Saviour of lost men. 

It must have been a masterly presentation of the two-fold theme : 
and we wonder who could have failed to be convinced that the 
Old Testament, as we call it, taught that the Messiah was to die for 
sin, and rise again from the dead, and that Jesus of Nazareth ful- 
filled in every particular these ancient prophecies. Many were con- 
vinced and beheved. "Some of the Jews were persuaded, and con- 
sorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Greeks a great 
multitude, and of the chief women not a few." 

But the experiences of the missionaries in Pisidian Antioch 
were to be duplicated in Thessalonica. Many of the Jews were 
not willing to share these Messianic promises and teachings with 
their Gentile neighbors. So they gathered a mob of the vilest ele- 
ments of the population, and set the city in an uproar. They 
sought for Paul and Silas; and, failing to find them, they dragged 
Jason, their host, and certain brethren before the Politarchs of the 
city, upon charges which had in them some measure of truth, but 
which, so far as the law might have any claim against them, were 
essentially false. It was true that the mission of the evangelists 
was to turn the world upside down : yet their behavior had been 
in every respect that of law-abiding citizens. Their ministry had 
been exercised in quietness, without noise or tumult. It was true 
also that they preached that there was another king, even Jesus; 
but, as the Lord told Pilate, ''His kingdom was not of this world." 
We are not told what defence was made by Jason and his com- 
panions; but it was manifestly such that the Politarchs, though 
troubled at first by the unusual charges, could not fail to see that 
there was nothing in them of which the law could take any cog- 
nizance. And so, taking security of Jason and the rest, they let 
them go. The superficial and hasty character of the examination 
by the Politarchs is as evident as was that of the Duumviri at 
Philippi. If there was little or nothing in the charges, requiring 
further official notice, the magistrates should have put the Jews 
alone under bonds to keep the peace. Then the missionaries could 
have gone on in quietness with their evangelistic work. As it was, 
if they would avoid involving their friends, the new converts, in 
trouble, they could do nothing but withdraw from the field at least 

271 



XVII: 10-15] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



for the present. And so they went their way; and, turning down 
from the Via Egnatia, they soon found a refuge and an open door 
in a less prominent place. 



Verse i. The passing by of some places should be only that the truth 
may reach them in more favorable circumstances at another time. Compare 
Perga and Ephesus. — Vs. 2, UtiHzing the sanctuary and the Sabbath. — Vs. 
2b. Christianity is a reasonable religion. — Vs. 3. A great revival of Paul's 
method of preaching would be of vast benefit to the modern Church. What 
he regarded as important and valuable to both Jews and Greeks in his day is 
equally so to men of all nations and races in our times. And his method of 
presenting the truth would establish the Gospel upon impregnable foundations. 
It would reinstate the Old Testament in its legitimate place as an integral and 
needful part of the Divine Revelation. And it would reestablish the eviden- 
tial value of miracles as an irrefutable testimony to the Divine legation of 
Jesus of Nazareth. — Vss. 6-7. Half-truths are sometimes terrible lies. — ^Vs. 6b. 
The upsetting tendencies of the true faith. It must overturn and overturn till 
He whose right it is shall reign. — ^Vs. 7b. Jesus is a King: this fact must 
trouble earthly rulers till they bow to His dominion, — see Psalm 2:10-12. 

Vs. 7. Jesus Another King. 

I. He is one contemplating exclusively spiritual dominion. 

II. Claiming rightfully unqualified obedience. 

III. Securing infallibly heartfelt homage. 

IV. Expecting confidently universal empire. — {The Homilist.) 



2. Berosa, — vss. 10-15. 

The city of Beroea, smaller and less conspicuous than Thessa- 
lonica, was situated on the eastern slope of the Olympian range 
of mountains, about sixty miles southwest of Thessalonica. The 
location was one of unusual beauty, with far-stretching views 
over the plain, which was intersected by a number of mountain-fed 
streams, which at certain seasons of the year became torrential 
rivers. The first part of the journey of the missionaries was by 
night; and even if the day had dawned by the time they reached 
"the wide-flowing Axius," they may have encountered here some 

272 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVH : 10-15 



of those ''perils of rivers," of which Paul subsequently writes to 
the Church in Corinth. 

The fugitives from Thessalonica received a more favorable re- 
ception in Beroea than they had secured in the larger cities of 
Macedonia. They found a synagogue in Beroea; and as ''their 
manner was" they began their missionary propaganda among their 
own countrymen. We have every reason to believe that Paul 
preached in Beroea the same truths he had dwelt upon in Thessa- 
lonica. And the Beroean Jews, manifesting a less prejudiced spirit 
than those in Thessalonica, "received the word with all readiness 
of mind, examining the scriptures daily, w^hether these things were 
so." Luke's significant "therefore" indicates that the result was 
just what might have been expected. "Many of them, therefore, 
believed, also of the Greek women of honorable estate, and of 
men not a few." So overwhelming was the line of thought pursued 
by the preachers of the Holy Evangel that a candid investigation 
could not but end in conversion, and the acceptance of Jesus of 
Nazareth as the Messiah, Christ of God. 

Here again the history repeats itself. As the enemies of the 
Cross pursued the missionaries from Iconium to Lystra in their 
first circuit, so here they came from Thessalonica to Beroea, "stir- 
ring up and troubling the multitudes." And again the heralds of 
the glad tidings had to fly. Leaving Silas and Timothy at Beroea 
some of the new converts, possibly Sopater of Beroea among them, 
brought Paul down to the coast, whence from some unknown port 
he embarked for Athens, two hundred miles away, and set sail 
probably for Phalerum, the eastern port of the classic city. There 
his new companions left him for the return voyage; and Paul 
entered Athens alone. 



Verse 10. Paul went not as he wished (i Thess. 2:17), but as his Mas- 
ter planned. — Vs. 11. The right spirit in which to hear the Gospel is with a 
frank and open and unprejudiced mind. — Vs. lib. The true teaching of the 
Scriptures is to be obtained by searching them. So Jesus taught in John 
5 139. All preaching that will not stand the test of searching the Scriptures 
is false and pernicious. — Vs. 12. Faith waits on candid hearing and diligent 
study of the word. — Vs. 13. The zeal of the Jews was great, but not accord- 
ing to knowledge, — see Rom. 10:2. 

Verse 15. The picture of the lone missionary in the literary center of 
the world. 



273 



'XVII: i6-34] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss. II-I2. Bergean Nobility. 

I. In their freedom from prejudice. 

II. In their independency of mind. 

III. In their deference to the Scriptures. 

IV. In their intelligent faith. — {The Homilisf.) 

Vss. 10-12. The Berceans. 

I. Their candid attention to the new doctrines. 
11. Their proper examination of them. 

III. Their yielding to the evidence of their truth. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. II. The Study of the Scriptures Recommended. 

The Character of the Beroeans. 

1. Their laudable spirit of inquiry into religious truth. 

2. Their attachment to the Scriptures, and the diligence with which 
they studied these inspired oracles of truth. 

3. The candor with which these inquiries were conducted, and their 
openness to conviction. 

The Imitation of this Conduct of the Beroeans. 

1. Our duty and right to inquire and judge for ourselves concerning 
the truths of religion. 

2. The Scriptures are addressed to all ranks of persons, and re- 
quire from them an impartial and careful examination of the 
truths they contain. 

3. They are most worthy of our perusal from the importance of the 
truths contained in them. 

4. The melancholy consequences that flow from the neglect of the 
study of the Scriptures, and a blind submission to the opinions 
of men. — {Hunter, Rev. Dr. Andrew.) 



SuB-SECTiON 5. — At Athens, — 17:16-34. 

16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked 
within him as he beheld the city full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the 
synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the market-place 
every day with them that met him. 18 And certain also of the Epicurean and 
Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, What would this bab- 
bler say? Others, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because 
he preached Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took hold of him, and 
brought him unto the Areopagus, saying. May we know what this new teach- 
ing is, which is spoken by thee? 20 For thou bringest certain strange things 

274 



I. 



II. 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVH : 16-34 



to our ears : we would know, therefore, what these things mean. 21 (Now 
all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in 
nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.) 

22 And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Ye men of 
Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very religious. 23 For, as I 
passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an 
altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye 
worship in ignorance, this I set forth unto you. 24 The God that made the 
world and all things therein. He, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth 
not in temples made with hands ; 25 neither is He served by men's hands, as 
though He needed anything, seeing He Himself giveth to all life, and breath, 
and all things ; 26 and He made of one every nation of men to dwell on all 
the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the 
bounds of their habitation; 27 that they should seek God, if haply they might 
feel after Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us : 

28 for in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of 
your own poets have said, 

"For we are also His offspring." 

29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead 
is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. 30 
The times of ignorance, therefore, God overlooked; but now He com- 
mandeth men that they should all everywhere repent; 31 inasmuch as He 
hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by 
the man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all 
men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead. 

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; 
but others said. We will hear thee concerning this yet again. 33 Thus Paul 
went out from among them. 34 But certain men clave unto him, and be- 
lieved : among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named 
Damaris, and others with them. 



I. The busy waiting, — vss. 16-21. 2. The address on Mar's Hill — vss. 22-31. 
3. The meager result, — vss. 32-34. 



I. The Busy Waiting, — vss. 16-21. 

Paul's dependence upon his missionary comrades becomes con- 
spicuously manifest in this part of the tour. The necessities of the 
work seem to have constrained him to leave Luke at Philippi, and 
Silas and Timothy at Beroea. And those who came with him down 
to Athens could not remain ; so the apostle sent by them an urgent 
message to his old comrades to come on to him as soon as possible. 

275 



XVII:i6-2i] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Pending their arrival, Paul waited for them with an inexpressible 
feeling of loneliness and longing for their companionship. But his 
v/as not an idle waiting. The first thing he seems to have done 
was to take a tour of observation through the city. Vastly in- 
structive must have been that walk with Paul around Athens. 
Nothing escaped his observation. He marked the multitudinous 
altars, temples, statues and shrines of a city "wholly given to 
idolatry," that worshipped thirty thousand divinities, and where it 
became a proverbial saying that "One could more easily find a 
god than a man in Athens." The eye that rested upon the humble 
synagogue of his countrymen noted also the altar "To an unknown 
god" ; and marked the inscription as a text for his coming address 
to the literati of the classic capital. 

Following this preliminary survey, Paul, though still expecting 
the arrival of Silas and Timothy, gave himself immediately to his 
evangelistic work. He was probably supported in some measure 
by the contributions of his beloved Philippian converts, so that 
he did not need here in Athens to labor day by day for his daily 
bread ; and so "he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the 
devout persons, and in the market-place every day with them that 
met him." Luke gives us no particulars of those indoor and out- 
door conferences ; but, from what the philosophers say, we are 
warranted in believing that Paul's reasoning was after the pattern 
of his discourse in Thessalonica. At any rate, the thing these 
philosophers remembered was his testimony concerning the resur- 
rection. This was something new. And as the time of these wise 
men was entirely taken up with the telling or hearing some new 
thing, they were willing for a time to attend to this "word-spouting 
Jew," though they could think of him only contemptuously as "a 
retailer of knowledge scraps," which they were unable to locate, 
with any articulate connection, in any system of philosophy with 
which they were familiar. "And they took hold of him, and 
brought him to the Areopagus, saying. May we know what this 
new teaching is, which is spoken by thee; for thou bringest certain 
strange things to our ears ; we would know therefore what these 
things mean." 



Verse i6. A justifiable cause of provocation. — Vs. 17. A minister 
among men, — in the house of God, and in the market-place. — Vs. 17. The 

276 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVII : 22-31 



message of the Gospel is, "Come now, let us reason together." — Vs. 18. A 
false faith fosters the pride of the heart. — Curiosity-mongers are not sincere 
searchers after the truth. 

Vs. 16. The Awfully Significant Scene. 

I. The insufficiency of the light of nature to guide men to true worship. 

II. The moral worthlessness of material civilization. — {The Homilist.) 

j 

Vss. 19-20. The Strangeness and Suggestiveness of Christianity. 

I. The Strangeness of Christianity. 

1. The strangest Person in all history. 

2. The strangest fact in that strange Person's history. 

II. The Suggestiveness of Christianity. 

1. The more it is studied the more wonders it reveals. 

2. The more it is enjoyed the more it is desired. — (The Homilist.) 

Vss. 1-34. Paul at Athens. ' 

I. Paul's moral survey of the city. 

II. His discourses in the Agora. 

III. His discourse on Mar's Hill. 

IV. His departure from Athens. — (The Homilist.) 

Vss. 16-34. Paul on Mar's Hill. 

I. The place. HI. The sermon. 

II. The audience. IV. The effect. 



2. The address on Mar's Hill, — vss. 22-^1. 

The first thing to arrest the attention of the reader in this ad- 
dress is the marked courtesy of the speaker. He wins the respect- 
ful attention of his hearers, not by flattery, but by finding some- 
thing to commend in them. That something was their religious- 
ness. "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are 
very much devoted to the worship of the gods, — for as I passed 
along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an 
altar with this inscription, 'To an unknown god.' What therefore 
ye worship not knowing it, this I declare unto you." 

277 



XVII: 22-31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



For another thing, we cannot but note the contrast of this ad- 
dress on Mar's Hill with Paul's address in Pisidian Antioch. As 
these two are the most fully reported of any spoken by Paul in his 
missionary journeys, this contrast is worth noting and studying. In 
Antioch, Paul was addressing Jews alone; and he commends him- 
self to their friendly consideration, and at the same time intro- 
duces his great theme, by a rapid and pregnant survey of the 
national history. It was a story ever old yet ever new to the 
Hebrew people, and possessing a peculiar charm to the tribes 
that were scattered abroad. By this course he gained his object, — 
a hearing, and an opportunity to speak of Jesus and the 
resurrection. 

On the Areopagus, Paul's object was the same; but he reaches 
it in a different way. There were here no ancestral traditions to 
which the Christian apostle could refer, and by the reference win 
attention. So he rises at once to God, the omnipotent, independent, 
creator, preserver, ruler and father of men : and from His nature 
and our relations to Him deduces our duty, and the standard and 
measure of our obligation. All this is done by building on their 
own admitted principles, and is enforced by a reference to their 
own writers. And, while his words are so chosen as to afford no 
just ground for offence, his positions are so skillfully yet boldly 
taken, and so interwoven with the concessions of his hearers, as 
to overthrow the theories of both Stoics and Epicureans, and to 
undermine the idolatrous practices of those whose gods were only 
less numerous than themselves. By this course of thought, also, he 
is led, in the closing sentences, to speak of the themes peculiar to 
the Gospel and the Christian Revelation. 

A further brief analysis of Paul's address will exhibit the lofty 
ranges of his thought as well as disclose the wonderful skill with 
which, though interrupted, he is able to introduce some of the essen- 
tial truths of the Christian religion. 

In seven particulars he discusses the general doctrines of a 
rational theistic belief, e. g. (i) The existence of God; — (2) God 
is the creator of the world, and all things therein; — (3) The im- 
mensity of God, — ''He dwelleth not in temples made with hands ;" — 
(4) The independence of God, — ''Neither is worshipped with men's 
hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He Himself giveth to 
all life, and breath, and all things."— (5) The unity of the human 

278 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVII : 22-31 

race, — ''He made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the 
face of the earth;" — (6) The purpose of God's arrangements re- 
specting the human race, — "Having determined their appointed 
seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek 
God, if haply they might feel after Him and find Him, though He 
is not far from each one of us;" — (7) The spirituality of God and 
religion, — "We are also His offspring. Being then the offspring 
of God, we ought not to think the Godhead is like unto gold, or 
silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man." 

At this point the apostle enters upon the presentation of the 
truths which, in a special sense, distinguish the Christian Revelation. 
These which he mentions are three; — (i) God now calls all men 
everywhere to repentance, — "The times of ignorance therefore God 
overlooked; but now He commandeth that they should all every- 
where repent;" — (2) This call to universal repentance is in view 
of the coming general judgment, — "Inasmuch as He hath appointed 
a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness, by that 
man whom He hath ordained;" — (3) The certainty of that judg- 
ment is certified to us by the resurrection and enthronement of the 
Judge of the quick and the dead, — "Whereof He hath given assur- 
ance to all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead." 



Verse 22. Commending men in a right way may win them to the truth. 
Vs. 26. The unity of the human race. — Vs. 27. The distributions of the race 
are with this end in view, — their seeking after and finding God. — ^Vs. 28a. 
The Divine immanence, — "In Him we live, and move, and have our being." — 
Vs. 28b. A good way to reason with men is to argue from what they do 
believe to what they ought to believe. — Vs. 30. The revelation of a way of 
salvation is a special call to universal repentance. — Vs. 31. God summons us 
to repentance in view of the judgment. — Vs. 31b. The resurrection of Christ 
is a testimony to the certainty of the coming judgment. — ^Vs. 31a. Jesus 
Christ is ordained to be the judge of the quick and the dead. 

Vs. 23. The Unknown God. 

I. In His relation to Nature. 

II. In His relation to Man. — (The HomiKst.) 

Vss. 22-23. An Unknown God. 

I. Gods many. 

II. An unknown God. 

III. The only living and true God. — (Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 

279 



XVII: 27-31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 27b. The Nearness of God. 

I. He is locally near. 

II. He is relationally near. 

III. He is sympathetically near. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 29. Man the Offspring of God. 

I. This glorious fact in our nature indicates constitutional resemblance to 

God. 

II. It suggests the rationale of the Divine Laws. 

III. It explains the interpretation of Christ. 

IV. It exposes the enormity of sin. 

V. It aids us to estimate the transcendent blessedness of the dutiful. 

(The Homilist.) 

Vs. 30. God, and the Times of Ignorance. 

I. There is progress in the Divine Revelation, 

II. There is an accommodation in the Divine Revelation. 

III. Through this partial and accommodated revelation God is continually 

working toward His own perfect ideal. — (Vincent, Rev. Dr. M. R.) 

Vss. 30-31. Repentance. 

I. Repentance under the Christian Dispensation is especially binding upon 
all men everywhere. 

II. The Day of Judgment is a special argument for this repentance. 

III. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a special proof of a Day of Judg- 

ment. — (The Homilist.) 

Vss. 30-31. The Gospel Age. 

I. The one great duty of man in the Gospel Age. 

II. The one grand prospect of man in the Gospel Age. 

III. The one demonstrating fact for man in the Gospel Age. 

(\rhe Homilist.) 

Vss. 24-31. Paul's Sermon on Mar's Hill. 

I. The Errors refuted. 

1. Of the Naturalist, — declaring creation the work of God. 

2. Of the Pantheist, — showing God not identified with the essence 

of the universe, but separate from it, before it, above it, and 
supreme over it. 

280 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVH : 32-34 



3. Of the Positivist, — demonstrating God to be a personal being, in- 

telligent, loving, and paternal. 

4. Of the Evolutionist, — pointing out special interventions in nature, 

and the constant exercise of a providence superior to "the laws" 
by which He ordinarily works. 

II. The Truths taught. 

1. He gives in creation the true Cosmogony. 

2. Of the origin of man he gives the true Anthropology. 

3. Of the resurrection and the final judgment he gives the true 

Eschatology. — {Hoge, Rev. Dr. Moses D.) 

Vs. 31. The Day of Judgment. 

I. The time is not revealed. 
II. The rule is a righteous one. 

III. The Judge is Jesus Christ. — {Foot, Rev. Dr. J. I.) 

Vs. 31. The Scripture Doctrine of the Judgment. 

I. The time, — an appointed day. 

II. The judge, — the risen Christ. 

III. The judged, — angels and men. 

IV. The matter traversed, — "every work." 



3. The Meager Result, — vss. 3^-34. 

The wise men of Athens were not wilHng to accept the stranger's 
teaching concerning the restwrection ? And the general result of 
Paul's labors in the city was pitifully small. "Some mocked," some 
would hear him again, and some believed. "Certain men," — among 
them Dionysius of the Supreme Court, and one woman, Damaris by 
name, and some others, — this is the sum total! In contrast with 
the great multitude of converts at Thessalonica, and the many, 
both men and women of honorable estate, in Beroea, the outcome 
of Paul's evangelism in Athens was as the "gleanings of the 
vintage." 



Verse 33. Paul went from them apparently to return no more. Oppor- 
tunities neglected are generally lost forever. Why Athens closed the door. 
Was it not her self-sufficiency? 

281 



XVIII: 1-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Sub-section 6. — At Corinth; — and the end of the Second Missionary Tour- 
ney, — 18:1-22. 

I After these things he departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. 2 
And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, lately 
come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded 
all the Jews to depart from Rome : and he came unto them ; 3 and because 
he was of the same trade he abode with them, and they wrought; for, by 
their trade, they were tent-makers. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue 
every Sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks. 

5 But, when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was 
constrained by the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 
6 And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook out his rai- 
ment, and said unto them. Your blood be upon your own heads ; I am clean : 
from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles. 7 And he departed thence, and 
went into the house of a certain man named Titus Justus, one that wor- 
shipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. 8 And Crispus, the 
ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house : and many 
of the Corinthians, hearing, believed, and were baptized. 9 And the Lord 
said unto Paul, in the night by a vision. Be not afraid, but speak and hold 
not thy peace : 10 for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm 
thee: for I have much people in this city. 11 And he dwelt there a year and 
six months, teaching the word of God among them. 

12 But, when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord 
rose up against Paul, and brought him before the judgment-seat, 13 saying, 
This man persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. 14 But when 
Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If, indeed, it 
were a matter of wrong, or of wicked villainy, O ye Jews, reason would that 
I should bear with you : 15 but if they are questions about words and names 
and your own law, look to it yourselves; I am not minded to be a judge of 
these matters. 16 And he drave them from the judgment-seat. 17 And they 
laid hold on Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the 
judgment-seat. And Gallio cared for none of these things. 

18 And Paul, having tarried after this yet many days, took his leave of 
the brethren, and sailed thence for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila: 
having shorn his head in Cenchreae ; for he had a vow. 19 And they came to 
Ephesus, and he left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, 
and reasoned with the Jews. 20 And when they asked him to abide a longer 
time, he consented not; 21 but, taking his leave of them, and saying, I will 
return again unto you if God will, he set sail from Ephesus. 22 And when 
he had landed at Csesarea, he went up and saluted the Church, and went 
down to Antioch. 



I. The place, friends, and work, — vss. 1-4. 2. Opposition and encourage- 
ment, — vss. 5-1 1. 3. The arrest, and release, — vss. 12-17. 4. The return 
to Jerusalem and Antioch, — vss. 18-22. 

282 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVHI : 1-4 



I. The place, friends and work, — vss. 1-4. 

Corinth, the other ''eye of Greece," Athens being one of the 
two, Hes on the isthmus of the same name about forty miles west 
of Athens. It was a pro-consular city, and capital of the province 
of Achaia. It had grown rapidly in a hundred years, springing 
out of the ruins of the old city, and developing a vast commerce 
with both the Orient and Occident, through its eastern and western 
ports, — Cenchrea on the Saronic Gulf, and Lechseum on the Gulf 
of Corinth. It was the most dissolute and profligate city in the 
Empire, surpassing in wickedness, it is believed, even its three 
great capitals, — Rome, Antioch and Alexandria. 

Paul might reach Corinth by the overland route, or by way of 
the sea. His poverty, haste, and infirmities would probably lead 
him to avoid the tedious walk overland, when five hours of restful 
sailing would carry him from the Piraeus to Cenchrese, whence a 
walk of eight miles up the little valley of the Hexamili would 
bring him to the city of his destination. 

The most conspicuous object in the western landscape, as Paul 
drew nigh to the great commercial center, was the Citadel of 
Corinth, rising on its rocky summit two thousand feet above the 
level of the gulf and city, and impregnable to any assault by primi- 
tive weapons of war. This must first have caught the eye of the 
pilgrim Paul as he trod the little valley, and set him to thinking 
anew of the voluptuous city, lying on that "narrow neck of land." 
Happily we have from his own pen some revelation of his thoughts. 
He seems to have been unusually depressed in spirits. He con- 
fesses to the Corinthians afterward that he was with them "in 
weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling." Apparently he 
was much cast down, not only by the continued absence of his 
comrades (for he had come on from Athens to Corinth alone), 
but also by his comparatively unsuccessful ministry in Athens. And 
as now he confronted the greater city, and compassed the magni- 
tude of the work before him, he threw himself more unreservedly 
upon his Lord, and solemnly vowed renewed fidelity to his great 
commission. He says to the Corinthians afterward, "I determined 
not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him 
crucified." 

283 



XVIII: 1-4] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



In this lofty spirit of increased devotion, Paul entered Corinth. 
As in other places, he first of all sought for lodgings, and then 
some means of earning his daily bread. A gracious Providence 
favored his search. He soon found an abiding-place and work 
with his fellow-countrymen, Aquila and Priscilla, who, like him- 
self, were tent-makers. They had been banished with other Jews 
from Rome by the emperor Claudius. It does not clearly appear 
whether they were already Christians, or were converted through 
Paul's ministry. It is supposed by some that they were already 
believers and were really the founders of the Church in Rome. 
However this may be, it is certain that they and the apostle soon 
became very dear friends, and wrought together both in the prose- 
cution of their trade, and in the fellowship of the Gospel. 

The days of the week were spent by Paul in making tents. They 
were, indeed, off the lines of caravan travel ; and, because the trade 
of the world to this city came largely via the sea, there could not 
have been as great a demand for their tents as further north, and 
on the uplands of Asia Minor. But they shared the meager profits 
of their business, and were able to live. And soon Silas and Tim- 
othy came down from Macedonia, bringing needed help in the 
contributions of the older Churches of Philippi and Thessalonica. 
But the work in which Paul most delighted was the preaching of 
the glad tidings in the synagogue every sabbath. As before in 
Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea, and Athens, so here he reasoned 
with his Jewish brethren, doubtless on the lines of his constant 
message, opening and alleging a suffering Messiah as revealed in 
the risen Jesus of Nazareth. 



Verse i. Christian work in a university town is likely to differ widely 
from that of a commercial metropolis. — Vs. 2. The timing of events is a 
notable feature of God's providence: the banishing decree of Claudius pro- 
vided a home and fellow-workers for Paul, when he greatly needed both. — 
Vs. 4. The end of scriptural reasoning is persuasion. 

Vss. 1-18. Paul at Corinth. 

I. A propitious concurrence of circumstances in his ministry in Corinth. 

II. The value of his handicraft in that ministry. 

III. The stimulating influence of cooperation in that ministry. 

IV. The law of responsibility in connection with that ministry. 

284 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVHI : 5-1 1 



V. The change in his sphere of labor. 

VI. The moral triumphs of the Gospel. 

VII. Divine encouragement in that ministry. — {The Homilist.) 

Vss. 1-18. Paul at Corinth. 

I. His discouragements. 

1. His personal loneliness. 

2. The lawlessness and liability to tumult of a community held to- 

gether merely by the love of pleasure or greed of gain, 

3. Apprehension of the unacceptability of Gospel preaching to such 

a people. 
II. His encouragements. 

1. Assurance of temporal support. 

2. Assurance of efficient helpers. 

3. Assurance of a suitable place for his services. 

4. Assurance of protection from enemies. 

— {Witherspoon, Rev. Dr. T. D.) 

Vs. 3. St. Paul a Tent-maker. 

I. Labor is God's ordinance. 

II. When God has instituted the means we can have no right to be looking 

for miracles. — {Melvill, Rev. Dr. Henry.) 

Vs. 3. Tent-making as a Business. 

I. Paul chose a decent and reputable calling. 

II. He sought consistent companionship in his business. 

III. He pursued the work of his calling honestly. 

IV. He held his business cautiously in hand there in Corinth. 

V. He used his opportunities wisely, even when hardest at his work. 

{Robinson, Rev. Dr. Charles S.) 



2. Opposition and encouragement — vss. 

Paul was comforted and strengthened by the coming of Silas 
and Timothy; and gave himself with extraordinary fervor to the 
work of reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue, and to testify- 
ing to the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth. The language of the 
historian gives one the impression that Paul now surpassed himself 
in devotion of spirit and cogency of argument. But his Jewish 

285 



XVIII :5-ii] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



kindred would not receive his testimony. They opposed his min- 
istry and blasphemed the name he sought to exalt above every name. 
Then Paul felt that his work was done among the Corinthian Jews. 
*'He shook out his raiment, and said to them, Your blood be upon 
your own heads ; I am clean : from henceforth I will go unto the 
Gentiles." He ministered to the Jews of Corinth no more; and 
never again, so far as we know, went into their synagogue. 

But there was much encouragement as well as opposition. Some 
of the leading Jews were converted. The house of Titus Justus 
afforded the apostle an asylum, and Crispus, the ruler of the syna- 
gogue, became a believer "with all his house." ''And many of the 
Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized." 

Chief est of all the encouragements which Paul received came 
to him in the vision of the night-watches. The Lord Himself said 
to him, "'Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace; for I 
am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm thee : for I 
have much people in this city." It was the promise of the mission- 
ary commission brought home to the feeble, buffeted, but indomi- 
table evangelist : and in the strength of it he continued eighteen 
months the blessed work of heralding the glad tidings to the great 
and wicked city. 

It was a fruitful soil in which to sow the seed of saving truth. 
There were here the rushing throngs of men busy in the chase of 
riches and pleasures. There were here the struggles and trials, the 
failures and disappointments, — the scaling of dizzy heights and 
plunging into dismal depths, — of commercial life. Tired humanity 
was here stooping under the burden of sins and sorrows, groaning 
ever for deliverance, and ready to respond with gladness to the 
gracious call, that sounded forth in silver notes through all that 
babel-din, — "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest." The power of the Gospel was mani- 
fested, not alone among the moral and decent worshipers of the 
synagogue, but also and especially among the lowest and most 
abandoned of that Hcentious city, — among "the fornicators, idola- 
ters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, 
thieves, covetous, drunkards, revelers and extortioners." "Such," 
says Paul, as he reminds them later, "were some of you ; but ye are 
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of 
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 

286 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVHI : 12-17 

Verse 5. The boldest preachers are emboldened by the presence and 
support of believing comrades. — Vs. 5b. Testimony is more than argument; 
Paul could say, "I know the Nazarene is the Messiah." — Vs. 6. Sometimes 
it is fitting the last word should be spoken : the voice of Gospel grace will 
not cease to sound, till we have ceased to hear. — Vs. 6b. The fearful doom 
of those whose blood rests upon their own heads. — ^Vs. 10. "I am with 
thee," an echo of "Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the 
world." — Vs. lob. The Lord knows and arranges to gather His own. 

Vs. 5. Paul at Corinth. 

I. The downcast apostle. 
II. The constraining word. 

III. The witness to the word. — (Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 

Vss. ^10. Cheer for the Worker. 

I, The tendency of our weakness. 
II. The calling of our faith. 

III. The encouragement of our service. — {Spurge on, Rev. Charles.) 

Vss. 9-10. Paul's Fourth Vision. 

I. The Saviour's declaration. 
II. The Saviour's command. 
III. The Saviour's promise. — {The Homilist.) 

Vss. 9-10. The Lord Comforting Paul. 

I. A Divine encouragement. 

II. A Divine command. 

III. A Divine promise. 

IV. A Divine revelation of secret truth. — {Weithrecht, Rev. J. J.) 



3. The arrest and release, — vss. 12-1'/, 

Paul had decided to let the Jevv^s alone; and he found a joyful 
service in ministering to the Gentiles, and bringing to them the 
message of a Messiah-Saviour. But the Jews were not willing to 
let Paul alone. They would not accept the Nazarene as their 
Saviour themselves, nor were they willing that the Gentiles should 
accept Him. With the specious charge of introducing an unlawful 

287 



XVIII :i8-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



religion, they brought Paul before the Proconsul, and thought to 
silence him with the strong arm of the Roman law. The Proconsul 
of Achaia at this time was Gallio, the brother of the philosopher 
Seneca, who, in allusion to his supercilious manners, calls him 
"My Lord Gallio." Proud Roman as he was, the Proconsul was 
shrewd enough to see that the Jews were only making a pretext of 
their charge against Paul, and that they had really no case against 
him. He would not therefore hear them. He had no mind to sit 
as judge between warring factions of quarrelsome Jews, as he 
esteemed them. And so he drove them from the judgment-seat. 
And even the lawlessness of the resulting assault upon the Jewish 
leader was unnoticed by the indifferent and ease-loving judge. 
"Gallio cared for none of these things." Had he been willing to 
adjudge the case brought before him, Gallio might have found that 
Paul was not only no criminal, but that he was a messenger of life 
to his soul. 



Verse 15. "Questions about words and names" sometimes have more 
underneath than appears on the surface. There were some things here worth 
Gallio's investigation. — Vs. 17. One who will not examine into the claims 
of his Divine Lord is not likely to mete out even-handed justice to his fellow- 
men. — Vs. 17b. Indifferentism is a great foe to conversion. 

Vs. 17. Indifference in Religion. 

I. The fact. 
11. The causes. 

III. Some of the means of cure. — (Hallo ck, Rev. Dr. G. B. F.) 



4. The return to Jerusalem and Antioch, — vss. 18-22. 

The incidents of this return are briefly recorded but interesting. 
Aquila and Priscilla, and apparently Silas and Timothy, accom- 
panied Paul, the two first named as far as Ephesus only, — the 
exigencies of trade probably leading them to transfer their tent- 
making to Asia Minor. The company sailed from Cenchrese di- 
rectly across the ^gean Sea to Ephesus. Before sailing Paul 
shaved his head because he had a vow. It is vain to speculate about 
this unusual incident in Paul's experience, as we do not and 

288 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVni : 18-22 



cannot know anything of the nature of the obligation, or the occa- 
sion or circumstances under which the vow was assumed. 

Paul tarried but a little while in Ephesus, during which, *'as his 
manner was," he "reasoned with the Jews" in their synagogue, 
doubtless bringing to them his one great message. Leaving Aquila 
and Priscilla in Ephesus, and purposing to return to the city again 
if the Lord willed, he sailed away for Csesarea, hastening to Jeru- 
salem, possibly to complete his vow, perhaps to keep an approaching 
feast. A feast is mentioned in the Authorized Version, but omitted 
in the Revision. If it was to be at a feast it was probably that of 
Pentecost, as Paul could hardly have reached Jerusalem from 
Corinth between the opening of navigation, the middle of March, 
and the date of the Passover. 

Accompanied by his old comrade, Barnabas, perhaps from 
Cyprus or Csesarea, possibly from Corinth, and Titus also (as we 
learn from Galatians 2:1), in addition to Silas and Timothy, Paul 
landed at Caesarea, and, going up to Jerusalem, ''saluted the 
Church." The silence of Luke as to any details of this fourth visit 
of the apostle to Jerusalem is inexplicable. Paul certainly had 
wondrous tidings to tell the Mother-Church of the triumphs of 
the Gospel in the cities of Macedonia and Achaia. We can hardly 
believe that Paul, full of such news, could have contented himself 
with only the quiet fulfillment of his vow, and a brief, if courteous, 
salutation of his brethren, and then slipping away to Antiocli. But 
the Spirit of inspiration has not thought it important or necessary 
to dwell here upon the story the apostle brought home. As a 
matter of fact, Jerusalem was rapidly filling up the cup of her 
iniquity, and in less than twenty years was to be overthrown. She 
was already losing her place and importance as a center of Chris- 
tian Hfe and activity, and her crown as the Mother-Church. Anti- 
och, Corinth, Ephesus and Rome rose in succession to the seat of 
power and influence, from which Jerusalem was being deposed. 
And so we have the tantalizingly brief record, — ''He went up, and 
saluted the Church, and went down to Antioch." 

The brevity of this record is compensated by the apostle's own 
narrative in the second chapter of Galatians. Paul's first visit to 
Jerusalem, after his conversion, was probably in A. D. 40. "The 
fourteen years after" of Galatians 2:1 would bring him to A. D. 54, 
the probable year of his return from the second missionary journey, 

289 



XVIII: 18-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



which return Luke here dismisses in such a summary manner. 
Supplementing the history from the epistle, the following points 
are clear, viz. — (i) Barnabas and Titus went with Paul up to 
Jerusalem at the close of the second missionary journey, — the com- 
pany probably including also Silas and Timothy ; — (2) The mis- 
sionaries had a full and free conference with the chief brethren in 
the Church at Jerusalem, the result of which was the cordial ap- 
proval of the evangelists' course, and a mutual agreement as to their 
fields of labor, Paul and his company taking the Gentiles, and the 
other brethren their kinsmen of the House of Israel; — (3) There 
was an effort made by the Judaizing brethren to compel the circum- 
cision of Titus, who was a Greek, — to which demand Paul "gave 
place by subjection, no, not for an hour." This difference of 
opinion among brethren, and the possibility of greater trouble aris- 
ing out of it, may have led Paul to cut short his stay in Jerusalem, 
and to hasten his journey down to Antioch. 

And so ended the second missionary journey. It must have 
been nearly if not quite four years since Paul and Silas left Antioch. 
According to many writers this second missionary journey was 
begun in the spring of the year A. D. 51. Paul seems to have begun 
his missionar}' journeys always in the spring of the year: — and 
indeed the mountain passes of Asia ]\Iinor were hardly passable 
much before the last of ^lay or first of June. And, considering 
what they did and the places they visited, it seems likely that they 
were a year and a half in going from Antioch to Corinth ; which 
city they reached in the autumn of A. D. 52. And. as the Corinth- 
ian ministry lasted eighteen months, it must have been the spring 
of A. D. 54 Avhen they returned to Jerusalem and Antioch. 



Verse 18. The fulfilment of vows is not to be set aside, even because 
of a journey. — Vs. 19. Doing good by the way; opening the door for his 
return, and for a great work in Ephesus, was a part of Paul's wise plan. 

Section 4. — The Testimony of Paul and His Companions : — The Third 
^Missionary Journey ; — 18 :23 21 :i6. 

Sub-section i. — Galatia and Phrygia Rez'isifed, — vs. 23. 

23 And, having spent some time there, he departed, and went through 
the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples. 

290 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVHI : 23 
I. The Places, — vs. 23. 2. The Object, — vs. 23c. 3. The Itinerary — vs. 23b. 



I. The Places, — vs. 2^. 

Accurate maps of the region thus visited and summarily referred 
to are difficult of construction. In general it may be said Pisidia 
is north of Pamphylia, and Lycaonia north of Cilicia; while Gala- 
tia is north of Lycaonia, and Phrygia west of Lycaonia and Galatia. 
Phrygia and Galatia, therefore, may be taken as embracing the 
central and elevated region of Asia Minor. The rivers Hermus 
and Maeander, emptying westward into the ^gean Sea, — the Halys 
and Sangarius, running north into the Euxine or Black Sea, — and 
the Cestrus and Eurymedon and other smaller streams flowing 
south into the Sea of Pamphylia, or Mediterranean, — all take their 
rise in these mountain ranges and high table-lands of Galatia and 
Phrygia. It was a region with which Paul's travels had made him 
familiar. In order to reach it he must have re-traversed the road, 
over four hundred miles in length, from Antioch to the Cihcian 
Gates. The same great highway would have led him through 
Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch, — though he may 
have turned off northward after passing through the Gates, and 
gone via Tyana directly into Galatia and Phrygia. Paul seems to 
have been accompanied by both Timothy and Titus, and possibly 
also by Gaius, Aristarchus, and Erastus, though these last three 
may have met him at Ephesus. 



2. The Object, — vs. 2^c. 

The aim of the missionaries throughout these regions was to 
confirm the Churches already founded, and to strengthen them in 
the faith, and in the exercise of every Christian grace, and espe- 
cially of benevolence. It was on this tour that Paul everywhere 
made arrangements for the systematic collection of the contribu- 
tions of the Churches for the poor saints in Judea. To him it must 
have been deeply interesting to revisit the region of his serious 
breakdown in health, and to meet again the brethren, who had mani- 

291 



XVIII: 24] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



fested such affectionate concern for their invalid teacher. And he 
sought everywhere to enHst their sympathy and interest^ not in his 
own behalf, but of their poorer brethren in Jerusalem and Judea. 
He refers to this in his letter to the Corinthians, — See i Cor. i6:i. 



Verse 23c. Confirming recent converts and strengthening the Churches, 
as we have seen elsewhere, is not less important than the work of evangeliza- 
tion. The Judaizing errorists were abroad, and needed to be checkmated, 
and their influence nullified. The benevolence of the Churches needed to be 
developed. This Paul had been enjoined to do (Gal, 2:10) ; and this, as he 
claimed, he had been always forward to do (i Cor. 16:1). 



Sub-section 2. — Ap olios, — vss. 24-28. 

24 Now a certain Jew, named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an elo- 
quent man, came to Ephesus ; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 

25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and, being 
fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, 
knowing only the baptism of John : 

26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla 
and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him 
the way of God more accurately. 

27 And when he was minded to pass over into Achaia, the brethren en- 
couraged him, and wrote to the disciples to receive him : and when he was 
come, he helped them much that had believed through grace; 28 for he pow- 
erfully confuted the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that 
Jesus was the Christ. 



I. His nativity, — vs. 24. 2. His Ephesian ministry, — vs. 25. 3. His being 
taught by Priscilla and Aquila, — vs. 26. 4. His ministry in the city of 
Corinth, — vss. 2'^- 28. 



I. His nativity, — vs. 2/^. 

Apollos was born in Alexandria, the third, if not the second, 
city in the Roman Empire. It was a city equally renowned for its 
wealth, culture and learning. Its schools of philosophy and elo- 
quence were famous the world over. For centuries it had been 
noted for the number of Jews among its citizens, and for the hon- 
orable and influential place accorded to them. In Paul's day there 

292 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVHI : 25 



were probably almost as many Jews in Alexandria as there were 
in Jerusalem. Many of them had been accustomed to attend the 
feasts in Jerusalem; and doubtless some of them had become dis- 
ciples of John. And through some of them it seems likely that 
Apollos had come to look for the Messiah, of whose coming John's 
ministry had been the herald and forerunner. 



Verse 24, The interests of individual souls are not lost in the mighty 
marching of the kingdom of God. 



2. His Ephesian ministry, — vs. 25. 

We are not told what brought Apollos to Ephesus. There was 
constant commercial intercourse between Egypt and Ionia, across 
the waters of the eastern Mediterranean; and through some such 
channel this eloquent and learned Jew of Alexandria was guided by 
"a wise, holy, and tender Providence" to the city of Ephesus. He 
was ''mighty in the Scriptures" ; and being fervent in spirit he 
preached to his Jewish co-religionists ''the things concerning Jesus, 
knowing only the baptism of John." This latter statement needs 
some explanation; and the most satisfactory explanation appears 
to be this, viz. — The ministry of John the Baptist was divided into 
two well-defined periods. The first was a time of awakening, the 
sounding of an alarm, and calling the people to repentance, sum- 
moning them to prepare for the impending kingdom of God. The 
second and later period was marked by the proclamation of the 
actual presence of the Messiah, as, at the fords of the Jordan, the 
Forerunner, pointing to Jesus as He walked, cried out to the mul- 
titude, "Behold the Lamb of God." 

We can hardly believe that Apollos knew anything of this 
second part of John's preaching. Had he known it, he would surely 
have found his way to Jerusalem, to learn there "the way of the 
Lord more perfectly." He evidently knew only of the baptism of 
repentance, and" John's call to prepare "the way of the Lord." This 
he knew and taught accurately, "speaking boldly in the synagogue," 
after the pattern of the shaggy-mantled preacher of the wilderness. 
But the learned and eloquent preacher, "mighty in the Scriptures," 

293 



XVIII: 26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

needed to be more fully taught himself: and the teachers divinely 
provided were at hand. 

Verse 24b. Scriptural knowledge, eloquent speech, and fervency of spirit 
are prime requisites in a missionary of the Cross. Accurate knowledge, even 
though partial, is a good foundation for further attainments. 



3. He is taught by Priscilla and Aquila, — vs. 26b. 

We have here another illustration of that prodigal use of opu- 
lent resources, which sent Philip to the desert road to meet Can- 
dace's Treasurer, and guided Paul from Antioch to Philippi to 
meet Lydia the seller of purple, brought over from Thyatira to 
hear the messenger of peace on a foreign shore. The tent-makers 
from Rome are carried to Ephesus via Corinth, to be the messen- 
gers of grace and life to the learned and eloquent Apollos, whom 
Divine Providence had brought up from his native city Alexandria, 
to learn from them ''the way of God more accurately." These 
humble artisans, who had so greatly helped and comforted Paul in 
Corinth, were not apparently gifted with eloquent speech ; but they 
had been taught of the Divine Spirit; and they knew far more of 
the way of the Lord than their learned and brilliant pupil. 

This association of Apollos with Priscilla and Aquila is deeply 
interesting. His knowledge was accurate and influential as far as 
it went. He was mighty in the Scriptures, and knew the fulness 
of the times was come, and that Messiah's day was at hand. He 
knew of John as the Lord's Forerunner, and his summons to 
repentance, and to prepare the way of the Lord. These things he 
knew ; and these things he preached with great cogency and power. 
But beyond this his knowledge did not go. They were therefore 
wonderful truths which were brought to his attention by the lowly 
tent-makers. The actual advent of the Messiah, His life and 
death. His resurrection and ascension, and the gift of the Holy 
Spirit at Pentecost, — a series of marvelous events were these, 
whose connected doctrines so wonderfully fitted into the truths 
which Apollos already held and taught that he accepted them im- 
mediately and without reserve. He was now prepared in the 

294 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XVHI : 27-28 

fullest measure to be an evangelist of the glad tidings, — a mission- 
ary of the Cross to those who were sitting in heathen darkness. 

Verse 26a. Boldness of spirit and speech is essential in a preacher of 
the truth, — Vs. 26b. The ablest teachers are the humblest learners. — Vs. 26c. 
Those not gifted in public speech may be most useful teachers in private 
life. 



4. His ministry in Corinllli, — vss. 2^-28. 

Apollos does not seem to have preached in Ephesus after he 
had been made more fully acquainted with ''the way of God." It is 
not easy to say why. It is thought by some that he shrank from 
making known the defect of his knowledge where he had so re- 
cently appeared so confident and bold. It is more Hkely that he 
had heard of the coming of the large force of missionaries in Paul's 
company, and knew that his services would not any longer be 
needed. Just at this time also the state of the Corinthian Church 
was such as to call for the presence of a bold and able leader. 

And so, with the encouragement and commendation of Aquila 
and Priscilla and others, he crossed over to Achaia, and greatly 
helped those who, through the grace of God, had come to believe. 
He followed also in the footsteps of Paul and turned with earnest- 
ness and longing to his Jewish kindred. It was a more fruitful 
field than Athens ; but we have reason to believe that he was no 
more successful than Paul in winning many of his countrymen to 
"the truth as it is in Jesus." But ''he powerfully confuted the Jews, 
and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the 
Christ." He became also mightily influential with the disciples in 
Corinth; and was numbered by them with Paul and Peter among 
the great leaders of the Church, though doubtless he gave no coun- 
tenance to the formation of parties in that Church, and was not 
pleased with the rallying cries, — "I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, 
and I of Cephas, and I of Christ." And he left them after a 
brief ministry, and came to Ephesus, while Paul was yet there. 



Verse 27. It is always through Divine Grace that we are able to be- 
lieve. Faith is the gift of God. — Vs. 28. Confuting, convincing, and con- 

295 



XIX: I] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



verting, three steps, of which the last alone is effective. — ^28b. All faithful 
preaching must be grounded on, and be backed by Holy Scripture. — Vs. 28b. 
The sum of all apostolic testimony is that Jesus the Nazarene is the Messiah, 
the Saviour of the world. 

Vss. 24-28. Apollos. 

1. His superior Biblical knowledge. 

II. His effective power of expression. 

III. His fine attributes of spirit. 

IV. His varied capacity for usefulness. — (The Homilist.) 



Vs. 24. Mighty in the Scriptures. 

I. The nature 1 
II. The importance of becoming "mighty in the Scriptures." 
III. The duty J (Hodge, Rev. Dr. Charles.) 



Vss. 24-26. The Character and Conditions of Usefulness. 

I. General culture and discipline. 

II. Aptitude. 

III. Capacity for earnest, zealous exertion. 

IV. An inquisitive and docile spirit. — (Smith, Rev. Pres't Worthington.) 



Sub-section 3. — The Awakening at Ephesus, — 19:1-20. 

I And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having 
passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disci- 
ples : 2 and he said unto them, Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye 
believed? And they said unto him, Nay, we did not so much as hear whether 
the Holy Spirit was given. 3. And he said. Into what, then, were ye bap- 
tized? And they said. Into John's baptism, 4 And Paul said, John baptized 
with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should be- 
lieve on Him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus. 5 And when they 
heard this they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And, when 
Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them ; and they 
spake with tongues, and prophesied. 

7 And they were in all about twelve men. 8 And he entered into the 
synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, reasoning and 
persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom of God. 

9 But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the 
Way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disci- 
ples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus, 10 And this continued for 

296 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIX : 2 



the space of two years; so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word 
of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. 11 And God wrought special miracles 
by the hands of Paul ; 12 insomuch that unto the sick were carried away from 
his body handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and 
the evil spirits went out. 

13 But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to 
name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, 
I adjure you by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth. 14 And there were seven sons 
of Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this. 15 And the evil spirit answered, 
and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? 16 
And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both 
of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house, 
naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all, both Jews and 
Greeks, that dwelt at Ephesus ; and fear fell upon them all, and the name of 
the Lord Jesus was magnified. 

18 Many also of them that had believed came, confessing, and declaring 
their deeds. 19 And not a few of them that practiced magical arts brought 
their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted 
the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So mightily 
grew the word of the Lord and prevailed. 



I. The Divine source of it, — vs. 2. 2. The doctrinal foundation of it, — vs. 
20:21. 3. The small beginning of it, — vs. 7. 4. The opposition to it, 
— vs. p. 5. The counterfeiting of it, — vss. 13-15. 5. The genuine character 
of it, — vss. 18-20. 



I. The Divine source of it, — vs. 2. 

It is deeply interesting to note the thoughts with which the 
apostle's mind was filled as he began his evangelizing work in the 
various cities visited by the missionary forces. We have no clue 
to these thoughts in many instances. But in two cases we are 
well advised. We know Paul's thoughts in entering upon the mis- 
sionary propaganda in two great and dissolute cities of the heathen 
world, — Corinth and Ephesus. It was apparently while crossing 
the Isthmus, and approaching Corinth, that he formed the noble 
resolution not to know anything in that great fortress of Satan 
"save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." And as he came down to 
Ephesus from the "upper country," the table-lands of Phrygia and 
Galatia, and as he wrought with his own hands for daily bread, he 
was evidently thinking of the Holy Spirit. And so it came about 

297 



XIX: 2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



that when he met the imperfectly instructed disciples, who possibly 
had been taught by Apollos, in the days preceding his own more 
perfect enlightenment, the thought of his heart comes to the sur- 
face in the first question emerging from his lips. Did ye receive 
the Holy Spirit when ye believed ? Paul's question, Into what then 
were ye baptized? is an incidental testimony to the prevalence and 
understanding of Christian baptism into the Triune Name. But 
these disciples, like their putative teacher, knew only the baptism of 
John. They knew from John's preaching that the Coming One, 
whose forerunner he was, would baptize with the Holy Spirit and 
with fire; but they know not yet that the Holy Spirit had been 
actually given. Then, being more fully instructed by Paul, and 
baptized in the name of Jesus, with the laying on of the apostle's 
hands they received the Holy Spirit, and spake with tongues and 
prophesied. 

It was the beginning of a gracious work of the Divine Spirit. 



Verse 2. The burden of every Pastor's heart should be that his people 
might receive the Holy Spirit. It is important to explain the nature, mis- 
sion, and work of the Holy Spirit, that the Church may be moved to pray 
for His presence and power; but beyond this no minister of the Gospel is 
called upon to preach the Holy Spirit. His mission is to preach Christ cru- 
cified, and to call men to repentance and faith in the atoning Saviour. This 
preaching pleases the Holy Spirit Himself; and this preaching He will 
always bless. 

Vss. 1-20. The Awakening at Ephesus. 

L The Divine source of it. 

II. The doctrinal foundation of it. 

III. The small beginning of it. 

IV. The opposition to it. 
V. The counterfeiting of it. 

VI. The genuine character of it. 

Vss. 1-2. Faith in the Holy Ghost. 

I. Implies an habitual sense of the reality of a spiritual and supernatural 
world. 

II. It escapes a materialized estimate of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

III. It rescues us from a merely earthly and materialized estimate of the 

Christian Church. 

IV. It preserves us from a materialized worship. 

V. It implies a correspondent elevation of character. 

{Liddon, Rev. Canon.) 

298 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIX : 7 



Vs. 2, Whitsunday. 

1. We want the Holy Spirit as the minister of healing. 

11. Also as the minister of witnessing. 

III. Also as the minister that assimilates to the divine likeness. 

IV. Also as the minister of hope. 

V. Also as the minister of comfort. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. I. The Conditions of Receiving the Power of the Spirit. 

1. There must be a realizing knowledge that God wants to give us His 
Holy Spirit. 

II. There must be an intense desire in our souls for the possession of the 

Spirit of God with His power. 
III. All antagonistic things must be eliminated from our lives, and every- 
thing must be put in subordination to the Spirit. He must be al- 
lowed to direct us; we cannot direct Him. 

{Gregg, Rev. Dr. David.) 



2. The doctrinal foundation of it, — vs. 20:21. 

Paul's heart was turning to the Holy Spirit; and doubtless he 
would have his brethren seek His presence and power. But Paul 
did not preach the Holy Spirit. His ministry in Ephesus, as later 
he tells the elders, consisted largely in "testifying both to Jews and 
Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus 
Christ." As he called the literati of Athens to repentance in view 
of the coming judgment, so here ''publicly and from house to 
house" he summoned the Ephesians to repentance of sin, in the 
sight of God, and to faith in the crucified, risen, and glorified 
Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. 



Verse 20:21. The grand theme of the Christian minister must ever be 
this : — Reasoning and persuading as to the things concerning the kingdom 
of God. 



3. The small human beginning of it, — vs. 7. 

Twelve men formed the nucleus of the Church at Ephesus. 
We are not told what had become of Aquila and Priscilla. They 
do not appear again in Luke's narrative. They send salutations 

299 



XIX: 9-12] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



to the brethren in Corinth in Paul's first letter to that Church ; and 
this letter is supposed to have been written near the close of the 
Ephesian ministry, — about the time of the Passover in the spring 
of A. D. 57. Later in the history they had evidently returned to 
Rome, for Paul sends them greetings in his letter to the Romans, 
written from Corinth probably in the winter of A. D. 57-58. Still 
later they appear to have returned to Ephesus, whither apparently 
Paul sends them greetings in his last letter (2 Tim. 4:19). Their 
life was evidently a peripatetic life ; and impelled by the necessities 
of their business they moved about frequently. They may not have 
been at Ephesus when Paul returned to the city on that third 
missionary journey. The making and selling of tents may have 
carried them temporarily away from the great city, and out upon 
some of the many caravan routes throughout the Asiatic provinces. 
So only these presumable disciples were in the city to greet the 
Pauline evangelists. It seemed a little company with which to 
begin the great awakening of the mighty capital. But the conquest 
of the world began with twelve men, chiefly fishermen of Galilee. 
It is never too much to expect that twelve men filled with the Spirit 
of God may shake to its foundations the most godless city on the 
face of the earth. 



4. The opposition to it, — vss. p-12. 

Paul pursued the same course in Ephesus that he had followed 
in Corinth. He went into the synagogue, and for the space of 
three months fulfilled his ministry, "reasoning and persuading as 
to the things concerning the kingdom of God." It was the old 
theme presented in the old way. The true nature of the Messianic 
kingdom, its spiritual character and mission among men, and the 
life of the Messiah as a sufiferer and a sacrifice, and the certainty 
that Jesus of Nazareth was the prophesied Messiah-Saviour; — 
this was Paul's message to the worshippers in the synagogue, as it 
had ever been elsewhere. His manner of preaching also was the 
same. "He reasoned and persuaded," — how cogent the reasoning 
and how earnest the persuasion it is not difficult for us to imagine. 

But the result of Paul's efforts to reach his countrymen did not 
differ from his previous experiences in other places. Some be- 

300 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIX : 13-17 



lieved and accepted the truth; but others 'Vere hardened and dis- 
obedient, and began to speak evil of the Way before the multitude." 
And we have again the sad spectacle of the children of the covenant 
blinding themselves to their own mercy, and setting themselves in 
array against that which should have received their heartiest 
support. 

But Paul had ceased all controversy with his fellow-Jews. With 
a sore, sad heart he turned away from them, while his spirit 
yearned over them; and departing from the synagogue he separated 
the disciples from them, and in the spring of A. D. 55 found a place 
for their daily assemblies in the school of Tyrannus, where he con- 
tinued to reason with and persuade men. Here for two years the 
missionaries of the Cross so faithfully and diligently pursued their 
evangelistic ministry, that "all they that dwelt in Asia heard the 
word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." Here also the Lord 
honored His servant with special healing powers; and He, who 
made Peter's shadow efficacious as a healing medium, invested 
articles of apparel from Paul's body with therapeutic powers, so 
that the sick were healed, and the demons were cast out. 



Verse 9. The two-fold influence of faithful preaching; it is a savor of 
life unto life, or of death unto death. Hearts are either softened or hard- 
ened. — Vs. 10. The wisdom of massing evangelistic forces in the centers of 
population. — Vss. ii-i2a. The unlikely instruments of healing power, which 
God sometimes chooses for the manifestation of His Mercy. — Vs. 12b. Works 
of mercy preeminently show forth the Divine character. 



5. The counterfeiting of it, — vss. 13-17. 

This is the refuge of a foiled opposition. When Satan finds 
himself unable to withstand a work of grace, his next and some- 
times most successful effort will be to discredit the Lord's work 
by counterfeiting it. It was so at Ephesus. The Adversary found 
fitting instruments for his purpose in some strolling Jew^s, who 
made pretentions to exorcisms and such like dealings with the spirit- 
world. They found a congenial home in Ephesus, where every 
form and device of magic and the black arts flourished. A priest, 
Sceva by name, with his seven sons were adepts in dealing with 

301 



XIX: i8-2o] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

their so-called supernatural powers. Two of the sons were insti- 
gated of the Evil One to seek to discredit Paul's miraculous powers 
by some exorcisms of their own. They failed. As Jannes and 
Jambres withstanding Moses in the court of Pharaoh came to a 
point where their power was weakness, and they could only say, 
''This is the finger of God," — Here is the true supernatural; so the 
sons of Sceva were soon taught the shallowness of their knowledge 
and the weakness of their power in the presence of the demon they 
sought to control but could not. Their failure became conspicuous ; 
and the final result was a great advance in the extension of the 
kingdom of Christ. 



Verse 15. The knowledge of evil spirits ; — they know and recognize the 
power of God and His Eternal Son, and they thoroughly understand human 
nature; the demon could truthfully say, "I know Jesus, and I understand 
Paul." 

Vs. 15. The Appeal of Evil Spirits to the Sons of Sceva. 

I. Hell knows and respects Christ and His true followers. 
II. Hell despises and takes vengeance on religious pretenders. 

(The Homilist.) 



6. The genuine character of it, — vss. 18-20. 

In the city preeminently given over to pretended supernatural 
powers and communications, this awakening at Ephesus received 
incontrovertible evidences of its Divine origin. "Fear fell upon all, 
and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." The triumph of 
the Gospel was conspicuously manifested in three particulars ; — 
(i) In the abandonment of wicked leadership: many who had 
sought to deceive their fellowmen ceased their diabolism; — (2) In 
the hearty confession of their sins : they came confessing and 
declaring their deeds; — (3) In self-denying reform: "Not a few 
of them that practiced magical arts brought their books together 
and burned them in the sight of all." It was a great and mighty 
victory for the truth as it is in Jesus. They counted the price of 
their holocaust, and found it "fifty thousand pieces of silver," or 
nearly $10,000, or as money now goes, compared with then, about 
$50,000. 

302 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIX : 21-41 



Verse 19. The acceptance of Jestis separates men from all deeds of 
darkness. — Vs. 20. No sacrifice is too great for one who truly loves the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

Vs. 19. The Burning of the Magical Books. 

I. The true convert must not rest satisfied with any evidence but that of a 
great moral change. 
II. He must show a like zeal in avoiding the scenes and occasions of temp- 
tations. 

III. Genuine converts will be earnest in seeking the conversion of others ; 

— as, by burning the books, these would prevent their being a temp- 
tation to others. — {Melvill, Rev. Dr. Henry.) 

Vs. 19. The Burning Books. 

I. Avoid all those books which give false portraitures of human life. 
II. Avoid all those books v/hich, while they have good in them, have also 
a large admixture of evil. 

III. Avoid all books that corrupt the imagination, and arouse the base pas- 

sions. 

IV. Avoid all books which are apologetic of crime. 

{Talmage, Rev. Dr. T. DeWitt.) 



Sub-section 4. — "Diana of the Ephesians," — vss. 21-41. 

21 Now, after these things were ended, Paul purposed in spirit, when 
he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying. 
After I have been there I must also see Rome. 22 And, having sent into 
Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timothy and Erastus, 
he himself stayed in Asia for a while. 

23 And about that time there arose "no small stir concerning the Way." 
24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver 
shrines of Diana, brought no little business to the craftsmen ; 25 whom he 
gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said. Sirs, ye 
know that by this business we have our wealth. 26 And ye see and hear, 
that not alone in Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath 
persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they are no gods that 
are made with hands : 27 and not only is there danger that this our trade 
come into disrepute ; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana 
be made of no account, and that she should even be deposed from her mag- 
nificence, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth. 

28 When they heard this they were filled with wrath, and cried out, say- 
ing. Great is Diana of the Ephesians, 20 and the city was filled with confu- 
sion; and they rushed with one accord into the theater, having seized Gains 

303 



XIX: 21-22] THE TESTIMONY. OF THE WITNESSES 



and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel. 30 And 
when Paul was minded to enter in unto the people, the disciples suffered him 
not. 31 And certain also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent unto him 
and besought him not to adventure himself into the theater. 32 Some there- 
fore cried one thing, and some another : for the assembly was in confusion ; 
and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. 33 And 
they brought Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. 
And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made a defence 
unto the people. 34 But when they perceived that he was a Jew, all with one 
voice, about the space of two hours, cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 

35 And when the town-clerk had quieted the multitude, he saith, Ye men 
of Ephesus, what man is there who knoweth not that the city of the Ephesians 
is temple-keeper of the great Diana, and of the image which fell down from 
Jupiter? 36 Seeing then that these things cannot be gainsaid, ye ought to be 
quiet, and do nothing rash. 37 For ye have brought hither these men, who 
are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If, there- 
fore, Demetrius and the craftsmen that are with him have a matter against 
any man, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls : let them accuse one 
another. 39 But if ye seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled 
in the regular assembly. 40 For indeed we are in danger to be accused con- 
cerning this day's riot, there being no cause for it : and, as touching it, we 
shall not be able to give account of this concourse. 41 And when he had 
thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. 



I. Paul's plans and helpers, — vss. 21-22. 2. Demetrius, the silversmith, — vss. 
23-27. 3. The riotous assembly, — vss. 28-34. 4- The town-clerk of Ephe- 
sus, — vss. 35-41. 



I. Paul's plans and helpers, — vss. 21-22, 

In the journey from Corinth to Ephesus, Paul had been accom- 
panied by Aquila and Priscilla, and by Timothy and perhaps Silas, 
as well as possibly by Erastus, Gaius and Aristarchus. Silas dis- 
appears from Luke's narrative at Corinth, after he had come dov^n 
from Macedonia to that city in answer to Paul's urgent message. 
It seems probable that he continued with Paul till he reached 
Jerusalem, whence he had been sent forth with Judas Barsabbas, 
to carry the letter of the Council down to Antioch. We hear of 
him no more in the New Testament history, except possibly in 
Peter's first letter (5:12), if indeed the reference there is to the 
same person, of which in the minds of some writers there is a little 
doubt. The other brethren named, Erastus, Gaius, and Aristarchus, 

304 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIX : 21-22 



were with Paul at Ephesus; but it is not dear whether they ac- 
companied him to Jerusalem and Antioch, in the return from the 
second missionary journey, and later started out with him on the 
third and last evangelistic tour, or whether they met him at 
Ephesus, — awaiting there his coming down from **the upper 
country." 

After the great awakening had reached its climax in the holo- 
caust of the black-art books, Paul began immediately to plan an 
extension of his missionary journey. The evangelistic deputation 
had been very busy and greatly blessed. It was apparently during 
Paul's years in Ephesus that the Churches of Colossse, Laodicea, 
Thyatira, and others of the apocalyptic seven were founded : and 
while Paul seems not to have visited them himself, being occupied 
in the great city, his coadjutors probably carried the "glad tidings" 
through all the province of Asia, — assisting those who, converted 
in Ephesus, became messengers of life to their friends and 
neighbors. 

And Paul was planning also to revisit the scenes of his first 
labors in Europe; and, in anticipation of his own speedy coming, 
he sent forward Timothy and Erastus to visit the Churches of 
Macedonia. He chose to keep Gains and Aristarchus with him still. 
And Paul's master mind was also planning a longer journey. After 
passing through Macedonia and Achaia, it was his purpose to 
return the fifth time to Jerusalem. And "after I have been there," 
he says, "I must also see Rome." And even Rome did not cir- 
cumscribe the boundary of his comprehensive scheme, for we 
know, from his letter to the Romans, written probably a few 
months later from Corinth, that he purposed going far beyond the 
Imperial City, to carry the Gospel into Spain. Paul's plan was 
swallowed up in the larger plan of his Divine Master. He says, ''I 
must see Rome;" the Lord's "must" differ's from Paul's, but it 
brings him to the same end, — "Thou must stand before Caesar." 
But Paul's work was not yet done in Ephesus. 



Verse 21. Paul's plan and God's plan; — God meant that Paul should see 
Rome, but not as Paul was hoping to see it. Paul's anxiety to revisit Jerusa- 
lem was once more to carry "alms and offerings to my nation." Thus would 
he show his obedience to the apostles and elders, and his love to his Jewish 
brethren. 

305 



XIX: 23-34] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



2. Demetrius the silversmith, — vss. 2^-21. 

There came to be ''no small stir concerning the Way." Deme- 
trius was the instigator of the commotion ; but he charged the mis- 
chief upon Paul. He was a maker of silver shrines of the goddess 
Diana. These were wholesaled to the trade ; and by the craftsmen 
retailed and distributed throughout the city and province, and 
perhaps adjoining provinces. But this business was being seriously 
affected by the success of the Christian missionaries. And Deme- 
trius appeals to the self-interests of his business associates ; — If this 
Paul is allowed to go on, our business is going to be ruined. But 
Demetrius is as crafty as the owners of the pythoness in Philippi. 
The business of both was endamaged; but to the pubHc the chief 
concern was not their financial loss, but the damage to religion. 
There is danger that our trade may come into disrepute; but more 
than this, the temple of the great goddess Diana may be made of 
no account, and even she, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth, 
may be deposed from her magnificence. 



Verse 23. The "stir" is here transferred from the black-arts men to the 
silversmiths. The power of money to hinder the Gospel. 

Vs. 26. Demetrius. 

I. The triumphs of the Gospel, according to Demetrius, involved a re- 
ligious revolution. 
II. These triumphs were undeniable facts. 

III. They were not confined to particular types of men. 

IV. They were achieved by the agency of man as man. — {The Homilist.) 



3. The riotous assembly, — vss. 28-^4. 

The speech of the silversmith was a very crafty one. And it ac- 
complished the end he desired. All the people, whose business was 
in jeopardy, and all the devotees of Diana, were stirred up and filled 
with wrath. The whole city was thrown into confusion. The mul- 
titudes rushed with one accord into the theater, — which was a 
vast structure, amphitheatrical in shape, with stone seats covered 
with marble, and furnishing accommodations for thirty thousand 

306 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XIX : 35-41 



people. Here the tumultuous crowd hurriedly gathered, on the 
way seizing Paul's companions, Gains and Aristarchus, — probably 
hoping through them to get hold of their leader, and subsequently 
releasing them when this plan failed. And here the howling mob, 
insensate and unmanageable, gave way to a delirium of passionate 
outcry, ''Great is Diana of the Ephesians." For over two hours 
the unceasing frenzy swept over those marble seats, and shook the 
canopying curtains that shut them in from the vault of heaven. 
Alexander (possibly the coppersmith who did Paul much harm, 
2 Tim. 4:14) endeavored to reach the ear of the multitudes, the 
Jews themselves putting him forward, perhaps that he might for 
himself and his countrymen disavow all connection with and re- 
sponsibility for the teachings of the renegade and apostate Saul 
of Tarsus. But the mob would not hear him, and drowned his 
voice in their unceasing cry. Paul himself, brave and intrepid 
soul, was minded to confront the furious foe; but some of his 
friends among the Asiarchs, — the ten men annually chosen to super- 
intend their great spring festivals, — besought him not to adventure 
himself into the theater. The counsel was doubtless wise. He 
would certainly have been torn in pieces by the pitiless mob as 
soon as he should be recognized. And still the lord of misrule 
reigned supreme. Pandemonium had broken loose ; and the tumult- 
uous shouting of the multitudes, most of whom knew not why they 
were there, continued to salute the arches of the sky. 



Verse 31. The unreasoning and pitiless cruelty of the mob. 



4. The Town-Clerk, — vss. 35-41. 

It was not in human nature to endure the strain of such mad- 
ness indefinitely. There came a lull in the commotion, and the man 
for the hour appeared. The City Recorder, as he might be called, 
now stepped to the front, showing himself a master of men, and 
an adept in managing a riotous crowd. We cannot but admire the 
skill with which he accomplished the end he sought; — (i) He 
placated the assembly by agreeing with their most extravagant 
devotion to their great goddess Diana, whose temple-keeper their 

307 



XX : I] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



city was, as everybody knew; — (2) He would have them note that 
whatever these emissaries of a foreign religion were, they were 
neither robbers of temples, nor blasphemers of their goddess; — 
(3) He reminds them that it ought to be understood that there were 
legal ways, in which aggrieved parties might gain redress. They 
were living under the reign of law, — of Roman law; there were 
open courts, and presiding proconsuls. If therefore Demetrius and 
his fellow-craftsmen were endamaged, they were not without rem- 
edy. Let them seek that remedy in a lawful way; — For (4) this 
whole proceeding was unlawful; and they were liable to accusation 
and punishment for this day's uncalled-for riotous assembly. 

And with this solemn pointing to the majesty of the offended 
law he dismissed the concourse. 

Vss. 35-41. The City Recorder. 

I. His fearless courage. 

II. His admirable tact. 

III. His prudent advice. 

IV. His impartial justice. 

V. His great influence. — {The Homiletical Commentary.) 



Sub-section 5. — Macedonia and Achaia revisited, — vss. 20:1-3. 

1 And, after the uproar ceased, Paul, having sent for the disciples and 
exhorted them, took leave of them, and departed to go into Macedonia. 

2 And when he had gone through those parts, and had given them much 
exhortation, he came into Greece. 

3 And when he had spent three months there, and a plot was laid against 
him by the Jews as he was about to sail for Syria, he determined to return 
through Macedonia. 

I. Going to Macedonia, — vs. i. 2. Paul's last ministry in Macedonia, — vs. 2. 
3. Paul's final work in Corinth, — vs. 3. 



I. Going to Macedonia, — vs. i. 

Luke^s record of Paul's second visit to Europe is amazingly 
brief. The details of it are not by any means as interesting as 
those of the first ; but are of considerable importance. We gather 

308 



/ 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XX : i 

them from these few verses, and from brief intimations in Paul's 
letters, and some conjectures, of more or less plausibility. During 
Paul's ministry in Ephesus, and perhaps as much as a year after 
he entered the city, he wrote his letter to "the Churches of Galatia," 
though some writers, basing their judgment chiefly on points of 
similarity in it to the letter to the Romans, think it was written 
nearly a year later and from Corinth. This, as we may soon see 
reason to believe, is not probable. And, however it may be, it is 
all but certain that he wrote his first letter to Corinth from Ephesus, 
and apparently after "the great awakening," and before the com- 
motion in the theater, which probably occurred in the month of 
May,— the month specially devoted to festivals in honor of Diana. 
And, if so, it must have been before the time of the approaching 
feast of Pentecost, as Paul says to the Corinthians (i6:8), "I will 
tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost; for a great door and ei¥ectual is 
opened unto me, and there are many adversaries." His reference 
to the Passover in the same letter (5:7-8) makes it seem likely 
that he wrote between the Passover and Pentecost, i. e., between 
April 7th and May 28th, — the dates of those feasts in the year 
A. D. 57- 

This letter Paul seems to have sent to Corinth by the hand of 
Titus, who was possibly accompanied by Trophimus, an Ephesian, 
— though it is not so said in Luke's narrative ; and Titus, for some 
inexplicable reason, is not mentioned anywhere in the Acts of the 
Apostles. Paul had sent Timothy and Erastus over into Mace- 
donia, in preparation for his own speedy coming, when they were 
to go on to Achaia: and now he arranges with Titus to bring 
him prompt word from Corinth, and meet him at Troas, to which 
city he himself is about to depart on his way to Europe. 

Having made these arrangements, and realizing that his work 
was now done in the capital of Asia, after the uproar in the 
theater had subsided Paul once more called together the disciples 
and comforted them with much exhortation; after which he set 
out on his projected journey to Macedonia. He probably went by 
some sailing vessel up the coast, landing at Troas, where he 
expected tidings of the state of things in Corinth, by the coming of 
Titus, as had been prearranged. It is possible that Paul left Ephesus 
a little earlier than he had intended, on account of the outbreak 
of the craftsmen in the theater. But it is clear that he was dis- 



309 



XX: 2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



appointed in the failure of Titus to carry out the arrangement he 
had made. However, he waited for his messenger ; and, finding an 
open door in Troas, he began at once the evangehzation of the city. 

But he did not remain long in Troas. After the departure of 
Titus he had received unfavorable word from Corinth; and he 
was much concerned for the Church there, and anxious to learn 
how the brethren had received his letter. He was much troubled 
also by the inexplicable delay in the coming of Titus. He says 
to the Corinthians afterward (2 Cor. 2:13), 'T had no relief for 
my spirit because I found not Titus my brother: but, taking my 
leave of them (i. e., the brethren in Troas), I went forth into 
Macedonia." He crossed over to Philippi probably about the first 
or second week in June; and soon Titus came to him in that city, 
apparently, and brought such tidings as greatly relieved his anx- 
ieties. Timothy, as we shall soon see, seems to have returned with 
Titus, while Erastus, holding an important official position in the 
city, remained in Corinth. 



Verse i. The care of the Churches is a vastly important duty of the 
Christian ministry. Soundness of doctrine and purity of life in the Church 
should be their unceasing concern. Waiting times are not to be idle times. 



2. Paul's last ministry in Macedonia, — vs. 2. 

The apostle's mind was set at rest by the news which Titus and 
Timothy brought; but he did not think it wise or best to go down 
to Corinth till after some time had elapsed. His delay would afford 
the Church an opportunity to correct the abuses and introduce the 
reforms called for in his letter from Ephesus. Meanwhile he seems 
to have visited the Macedonian Churches founded six or seven 
years before. Then, thinking the time propitious, from some point 
in Macedonia he wrote a second letter to the Church of Corinth, 
joining his beloved Timothy with himself in friendly greeting, — an 
evidence that Timothy had returned from Achaia. This letter 
Paul sent, using Titus again as his messenger: who seems to have 
been accompanied by Luke, that they two might attend to the 

310 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XX : 3 



making up of the contributions of the Church for the poor saints 
in Judea. 

Many writers suppose, with much plausibility, that Paul, after 
dispatching this letter with Titus, spent the late summer and au- 
tumn of A. D. 57 in evangelizing Macedonia Quarta. Their reason 
for this supposition may be briefly stated ; — Paul had already pro- 
claimed the Gospel in Macedonia Prima, i. e., at Philippi, — and 
in Macedonia Secunda, i. e., at Thessalonica, — and in Macedonia 
Tertia i. e., at Beroea ; but, being compelled to flee from Beroea, he 
had not been able to visit Macedonia Quarta, i. e., toward Dal- 
matia on the northwest, "round about unto Illyricum." But Paul, 
in his letter to the Romans, claims to have already done this, so 
that "there being now no more place in these parts" he was ready 
to visit Rome. As these words were written a few months later 
from Corinth, it would seem as if this were the only time in which 
the completion of the evangelization of Macedonia could have 
been accomplished. 

When this was done Paul probably returned by the Via Egnatia 
to Thessalonica, as the most convenient port from which to sail 
to Cenchrese. Luke dismisses this summer and autumn's work and 
voyage in a single verse ; "And when he had gone through those 
parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece." 



3. Paul's final work in Corinth, — vs. j. 

The apostle reached the capital of Achaia about the middle of 
December A. D. 57. The navigation of the open sea had indeed 
been suspended some months before, but vessels doubtless still con- 
tinued in the coasting trade at least at infrequent intervals ; and 
by one of these, as the shortest though most dangerous way, Paul 
found his way down to Cenchrese. Of the apostle's work in Corinth 
Luke says only that he spent three months there. We must learn 
what he did while there from other sources. We may take it for 
granted that some of his time was given to "setting things in 
order." This he proposed to do in the letter of the preceding spring 
(i Cor. 11:34b). That he did not spare the troublers of the 
Church, and the defamers of his own good name, and the de- 
spisers of his apostolic authority, we may well believe. 

311 



XX: 3] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



But one of the principal things, which occupied Paul's mind 
during those winter months in Corinth, was the writing of his 
great letter to the Church of Rome. Some say he wrote here also 
the letter to the Churches of Galatia, and base their judgment on 
the fact that both letters deal with the fundamenal doctrine of 
justification by faith. But in favor of the simultaneous authorship 
of Corinthians and Galatians, both of which we believe were written 
from Ephesus in the spring of A. D. 57, it must be noted that Paul 
in both makes an earnest and most vigorous defence of his apostolic 
authority; and of this there is not a whisper in the letter to the 
Romans. Furthermore, it was now nearly four years since he 
visited the Galatian region. But his letter to these Churches bears 
the marks of a recent visit. Paul wrote it with his own hands, and 
in uncouth characters necessitated by his purblind vision. The 
letter to Rome was written by the hand of Tertius, an amanuensis. 
That it was written from Corinth is proved by the letter itself. 
Paul was a guest of the generous and believing Gains while writ- 
ing the epistle; and Gains sends his salutations to his brethren in 
Rome in the letter (Rom. 16:23). The composition of such a 
masterpiece of reasoning and exhortation might well take all the 
apostle's spare time in that three months' sojourn in Corinth. It 
seems to have been sent to Rome by the hand of Phoebe, a deacon- 
ess of the Church in Cenchrese, who was visiting the Imperial 
Capital on other business. 

Verses 2-3. The missionary's summer and winter call for unceasing 
work, but each a different kind of work. With Paul a summer of evangeliz- 
ing in the mountains of northwestern Macedonia is fittingly followed by a 
winter of study and writing by the quiet shore and in the great city. 



Sub-section 6. — The return journey, — vss. 20:4 21:16. 

(a) Incidents en route, — vss. 4-16. 

4 And there accompanied him, as far as Asia, Sopater of Bercea, the son 
of Pyrrhus ; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus ; and Gaius 
of Derbe, and Timothy; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 But these 
had gone before, and were waiting for us at Troas. 6 And we sailed away 
from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to 
Troas in five days; and we tarried seven days. 

7 And, upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together 

312 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XX : 4-6 



to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the mor- 
row : and prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 And there were many lights 
in the upper chamber where we were gathered together. 9 And there sat in 
the window a certain young man named Eutychus, borne down with deep 
sleep ; and, as Paul discoursed yet longer, being borne down by his sleep, he 
fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead. 10 And Paul went 
down, and fell on him, and, embracing him, said. Make ye no ado ; for his life 
is in him. 11 And when he had gone up, and had broken the bread, and 
eaten, and had talked with them a long while, even till break of day, so he 
departed. 12 And they brought the lad alive, and were not a little com- 
forted. 

13 But we, going before to the ship, set sail for Assos, there intending 
to take in Paul : for so he had appointed, intending himself to go by land. 
14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him in and came to Mitylene. 15 
And, sailing from thence, we came the following day over against Chios ; and 
the next day we touched at Samos ; and the day after we came to Miletus. 
16 For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to 
spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him to be 
at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. 



I. The missionary deputation, — vss. 4-6. 2. The week at Troas {Eutychus) , 
vss. 7-12. 3. From Troas to Miletus, — vss. 13-16. 



I. The missionary deputation, — vss. 4-6. 

It had been Paul's purpose to return to Asia by the shortest 
route practicable, i. e., directly across the ^gean Sea. But a plot 
against his life by the unbelieving Jews led to a sudden change in 
his plans; and accompanied by a number of his coadjutors he went 
back to Asia via Macedonia. Luke mentions seven in the com- 
pany who went ahead to wait for Paul at Troas, while others, at 
least one, remained with the apostle. The historian does not make 
it clear whether the company divided at Corinth or at Philippi. In 
view of the activity and malignity of Paul's enemies it does not 
seem probable that these seven companions of the apostle would 
have left him to come along through Achaia and Macedonia ac- 
companied only by Luke. It is thought, therefore, that the mis- 
sionary deputation probably remained together till they reached 
Philippi. There they could leave their beloved leader in the com- 
pany and protection of his friends. So Paul, with Luke, his con- 

313 



XX: 7-12] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

stant companion henceforth, as is indicated by the personal form 
of the narrative now once more resumed, remained at Philippi till 
after ''the days of unleavened bread," i. e., during the Passover 
Week. Paul's plan before leaving Corinth may have been to spend 
this week in Jerusalem; but this being no longer possible because 
of his circuitous route, his desire and hope now are to reach Jeru- 
salem in time for Pentecost. His companions were probably sent 
forward to Troas to complete the work left unfinished by Paul's 
hasty departure for Macedonia in search of tidings from Corinth 
by the hand of Titus. The Passover Week in the spring of A. D. 
58 ran from March 27th to April 3d, — the latter date being the 
Monday after ''the great day of the feast." Paul and Luke then 
left Philippi probably on Tuesday, April 4th, and, buffeted by con- 
trary winds, or detained by some other adverse circumstances, 
were five days in getting across to Troas. 



Verses 4-6. A noble band of helpers had been gathered by Paul, — eight 
men from six different cities, — Sopater of Beroea, Aristarchus and Secundus 
from Thessalonica, Luke from Philippi, Gaius from Derbe (a different man 
from Paul's host in Corinth), Timothy from Lystra, and Tychicus and Tro- 
phimus from Ephesus. 



2. The zveek at Troas, — vss. y-12. 

When we recall the fact that now Paul seems to be consumed 
with anxiety to reach Jerusalem by May 17th of that spring, the 
date of Pentecost in A. D. 58, it seems strange that he and his com- 
pany should have tarried as much as seven days in Troas. When 
we put alongside this fact the statement that the apostle was five 
days accomplishing the voyage from Philippi, which his first cross- 
ing had accompHshed in two days, and the further fact that usually 
the winds at that season and in those waters blew in the day-time 
from the northwest, and hence were most favorable, we conjecture 
that Paul must have had an unusual and stormy crossing, and 
possibly may have suffered another shipwreck, of which he had 
already had three, and all perhaps on small coasting vessels such 
as were available in those waters. If this was so, he would need 
a week to rest and recuperate before going on. 

However it may be with such conjectures, the interesting fact is 

314 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XX : 7-12 



that nine of the faithful missionaries of Jesus Christ were gath- 
ered together in Troas for a blessed week of fellowship and evan- 
gelism. In the coming days of trial, separation and suffering, how 
often must they have looked back to those days of sweet commun- 
ion, and taken courage from that memory for all that was still 
to come! 

Luke gives us one little picture of the closing day and night of 
that memorable week. Upon the first day of the week, — the second 
Lord's Day of their stay in Troas, Luke says ''when we were gath- 
ered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending 
to depart on the morrow." It was the evening of the Lord's Day. 
In Troas, as in many other cities, the primitive disciples were, in 
general, poor, many of them servants. They could not command 
their own time. They could not, therefore, come together till 
after nightfall. Possibly also it was thought to be safer, though 
evidently there was no great effort after secrecy, for there were 
many lights in that third-story room, and the window lattices were 
open, evidently for comfort and ventilation in that mild spring 
night. They were going to celebrate the Lord's Supper; but Paul 
had much to say before they came to the Holy Feast. 

Boy-like, the lad Eutychus had sought the window-seat. But 
owing to the late hour and Paul's long sermon, the poor lad found 
it a very dangerous place. He could not keep awake ; and, losing 
his balance while sleeping, he fell out of the window, and, striking 
the ground from the third floor, was, as was thought, instantly 
killed. Of course, the service was interrupted till Paul went down 
and resuscitated the unfortunate boy, and comforted his kindred 
by presenting him alive. There is room for doubt whether Euty- 
chus was actually killed, or only so badly hurt that there seemed 
to be no life in him. 

The observance of the Memorial Feast was now resumed ; and 
Paul continued to speak to the company of believers till the break 
of day. It was a memorable night in Troas, comparable only with 
that other night years before, when the man of Macedonia appeared 
and called for help. Paul was at Troas at a later period, and seems 
then to have left the city in such haste as not to bring away his 
cloak, and books and parchments, (2 Tim. 4:13). But at present 
the brotherhood seem to have a presentiment that they all would 
meet no more; and they could not but linger and listen to their 

315 



XX:i3-i6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



beloved teacher. And only with the coming on of the light could 
they tear themselves away, while the apostolic company prepared 
for their long journey. 

Verse 7. The parting of believers is ever solemnized and sweetened by- 
final meetings at the Lord's Table. — Vs. 7b. Protracted services are justifiable 
on rare occasions. — Vs. 9. Sleeping in Church is not alwa3^s due to long ser- 
mons : poor ventilation makes many a sermon dull and ineffectual. 

Vss. 7-12. Religious Institutions. 

I. Sanctioned by Christianity. 

1. The first day of the week. 

2. The Lord's Supper. 

3. The preaching of the Gospel. 
II. Intruding on the claims of nature. 

1. When employed for purposes of inordinate excitement. 

2. When unduly protracted. 

III. Associated with the supernatural power of restoration. 

1. Man is the organ of it. 

2. Man is the subject of it. — {The Homilist.) 



3. From Troas to Miletus, — vss. 13-16. 

If we keep a few facts in mind we shall not find it difficult to 
trace from day to day this voyage of the apostle along the coast 
of Asia. The prevailing winds in those waters in the spring of the 
year, and in the day-time are said to be from the northwest; while 
in the night-time the process is reversed, and the winds blow from 
the southeast. Vessels, therefore, must encounter opposing winds, 
if they seek to skirt those Ionian shores going southward after 
nightfall. But in Paul's day, owing to the absence of light- 
houses on those numerous headlands, and just at this time the 
darkening moon after the Passover, they did not try to sail by 
night. And therefore Luke gives us the various anchorages of 
the vessel which carried the returning missionaries. Again, we 
may take it for granted that the Lord's Supper in Troas was on 
the 1 6th of April, their second Lord's Day in that city. They 
sailed from Troas therefore on Monday, April 17th. The first day 
they sailed as far as Mitylene, the capital city of the island of 
Lesbos. The first part of the voyage was around the promontory of 

316 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XX : 13-16 



Lectum. Paul had determined to go overland the nineteen miles 
from Troas to Assos, where the vessel was to touch, and could take 
him on board. His motive in this is not clear. He may have 
wanted a few hours in quiet after that exhausting night in Troas. 
It is suggested that in this way he would circumvent the assassins, 
who had been foiled in their effort to kill him on the vessel on 
which he had intended to sail from Cenchrese, and who, he may 
have had reason to suspect, were still on his track. 

The vessel left Mitylene on the i8th of April, and in the eve- 
ning anchored at Chios. The next day, the 19th, they sailed down 
to Samos, and, crossing the strait between the island and the 
mainland, anchored for the night at Trogyllium. On the 20th of 
April they left Trogyllium, and by the evening of that day arrived 
at Miletus. The vessel was to tarry there several days. And 
because Paul was hastening on his eastward journey he determined 
not to tarry at Ephesus, but to send for the elders of that Church 
to meet him at his anchorage, for a farewell conference. It was 
thirty-six miles up from Miletus to Ephesus, and it seems likely 
that the elders of the Church could not get together, and make the 
journey from the city to the port much before the Lord's Day, 
April 23d. So here it was, on that memorable Lord's Day probably, 
and in that seaport city, that Paul met for the last time his beloved 
Ephesian brethren. 

Verses 13-16. Days of sweet fellowship, — spring-days of rare loveliness, 
and peaceful sailings among the islands of that beautiful Ionian Sea, must 
have given the missionary travelers another memorable and blessed week. 



(b) Paul's address at Miletus , — vss. 17-38. 

17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of 
the Church. 18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, 

Ye yourselves know, from the day that I set foot in Asia, after what 
manner I was with you all the time, 19 serving the Lord with all lowliness 
of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the 
Jews ; 20 how I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profit- 
able, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house, 21 testifying, both 
to Jews and Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

22 And now, behold, I go bound in spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing 
the things that shall befall me there: 23 save that the Holy Spirit testifieth 
unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24 But I 

317 



XX: 17-21] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I may accom- 
plish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to 
testify the Gospel of the grace of God. 

25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I went about 
preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more. 26 Wherefore I testify 
unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I 
shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God. 28 Take heed 
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made 
you bishops, to feed the Church of the Lord which He purchased with His 
own blood. 29 I know that, after my departing, grievous wolves shall enter 
in among you, not sparing the flock ; 30 and from among yourselves shall men 
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw av/ay the disciples after them. 31 
Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased 
not to admonish every one night and day with tears. 

32 And now I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, 
which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all 
them that are sanctified, 33 I coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. 
34 Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities and 
to them that were with me. 35 In all things I gave you an example, that so 
laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord 
Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with 
them all. 37 And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, 
38 sorrowing most of all for the word which he had spoken, that they should 
behold his face no more. And they brought him on his way to the ship. 



I. Paul's review of his Ephesian ministry, — vss. 17-21, 2. His foresight of 
coming tribulations, — vss. 22-24. 3- His mingled exhortations and ad- 
monitions, — vss. 25-31. 4. His tender and weighty farewell, — vss. 32-38. 



I. Paul's review of his Ephesian ministry, — vss. iy-21. 

The apostle's address is characterized by remarkable frankness, 
tenderness and fidelity. He would have the Ephesian elders know 
(i) That from his first coming into the province of Asia his had 
been a lowly service of the Lord with many tears; — (2) That he 
had suffered many trials through the plottings of his Jewish ene- 
mies. Metaphorically he had ''fought with wild beasts at Ephesus/' 
So a little later in Macedonia he had suffered from great heaviness 
of spirits, and persecution of life, — ''without were fightings and 
within were fears." And the care of all the Churches had been 

318 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XX : 22-24 



a heavy burden for him to carry; — (3) That his ministry had, 
nevertheless, been untiring and faithful. He had kept back noth- 
ing that was profitable to them; but ''publicly, and from house to 
house, had testified both to Jews and Greeks repentance toward God, 
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." We may well believe 
that here as elsewhere Paul grounded these fundamental requisites 
for salvation on the great fact of a crucified and risen Christ. 



Verse 19. The true minister will be of lowly mind. His ministry is 
likely to be marked by many trials and many tears. Happy he who can cite 
his own ministry as one he would have his brethren imitate. — ^Vss. 20-21. A 
faithful ministry will not shun to declare whatever is for the real good of 
the people. Public teaching and house-to-house teaching must go hand in 
hand. The cardinal themes of Gospel preaching must ever be repentance 
and faith. 

Vss. 17-21. Pastoral Retrospection. 
L The difficulties ] 

II. The duties and I of the true minister of Christ. 
III. The doctrines J {The Homilist.) 



2. His foresight of coming tribulations, — vss. 22-24. 

That peaceful voyage over the island-dotted sea, and the joys 
of Christian fellowship, and this meeting with the beloved elders 
of Ephesus, did not blind Paul's eyes to future trials. The details 
of what was before him he knew not; but in every city he had the 
witness of the Divine Spirit that he was going to bonds and afflic- 
tions. Nor did this give him any concern. Life itself had only 
this attraction for him that it gave him opportunity for continued 
service of his blessed Master : and his only concern was that he 
might finish his course as a faithful minister of the Holy Evangel, — 
"the ministry he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the 
Gospel of the grace of God." 



Verse 22. We know not what things are to befall us in the coming days 
and years. — Vs. 23. Affliction and sorrow are certain elements in every be- 
lieving life. They ought not greatly to distress us; for they cannot really 
harm us if we belong to the Lord. — Vs. 24. Our chief concern should be to 



319 



XX: 25-31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



accomplish the work given to us : and so to bear witness to the gracious 
Gospel of the Lord Jesus as to fulfill the ministry with which He has en- 
trusted us. 

Vs. 24. Christian Heroism. 
The Christian life requires bravery. 

This reveals to us the reason why many people are not Christians. 
How much Christian heroism is displayed by men and women alike! 

(The Treasury.) 



3. His mingled exhortations and admonitions, — vss, 25-^1. 

Incidentally, assuring them that he would not again visit Ephe- 
sus, and disavowing all further responsibility for their spiritual 
welfare, he solemnly testifies that he is pure from the blood of all 
men, for he had not shrunk from declaring unto them the whole 
counsel of God. He admonishes them therefore to take heed to 
themselves, and to all the Church over which the Holy Spirit had 
appointed them elders. They were to feed the Lord's Church. It 
was very dear to Him : He had bought it with His own blood. He 
warns them against the incoming of designing and ambitious men, — 
''grievous wolves" he calls them, — bent on destroying the Church, 
and the rise among themselves of perverse teachers, who should 
divide the Church, and draw many away from the truth to become 
their own disciples. He beseeches them to remember that for 
three years he had not ceased to admonish every one night and 
day with tears. 

We would not willingly lose this picture of Paul's ministry in 
Ephesus, as we have every reason to believe it was equally true 
of his messages in other places. Faithfulness and tenderness in 
equal measure characterized his ministrations. It was the ministry 
of a consecrated spirit, and everywhere it was owned and blessed 
with fruitfulness and power from on High. 

Verse 25. "Preaching the Kingdom" is a pregnant utterance respecting 
a glorious work. — Vs. 26. Blessed is that minister (Is there now such an 
one?) who can say, "I am pure from the blood of all men." — Vss. 26-27. 
Where lie the limits of our personal responsibility for our fellow-men? 
To be free from the blood of our fellow-men we must faithfully declare the 
whole counsel of God, whether they will hear or forbear, — ^Vs. 28. The 
ministers of Christ cannot take any proper care of their people unless they 

320 



I. 
II. 
III. 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XX : 32-38 



take heed unto themselves. The people of God are the flock of the Chief 
Shepherd; they are to be "fed" by His under-shepherds. To allow them to 
perish in ignorance, starving for want of food, is a terrible shortcoming and 
offence in the sight of the Lord, — for He purchased them with His own 
blood! — Vs. 29. False and ambitious men, deceived and deceiving, are ever 
ready to use the Church for their own selfish purposes; and they care not 
that they ruin the brotherhood of believers, if only they may gain their own 
ends. — Vs. 31. A faithful ministry must be characterized by unceasing ad- 
monitions, though they must be uttered, even night and day, and with 
many tears. — Vs. 32. The best thing a faithful minister can do for his people 
is to commend them to God. 

Vss. 26-27. Ministerial Fidelity. 

I. Wherein it consists, 
n. The difficulty of maintaining it. 
HI. The importance of it to the souls of men. 

Simeon, Rev. Charles {Horce Homileticce). 

Vs. 28. The Uniqueness of Christ's Blood. 

I. Sublimely unique in its nature. 

1. In accordance with the eternal plan of God. 

2. It was voluntarily shed. 

3. It was free from all imperfection. 
II. SubHmely unique in its effects. 

1. These effects are variously represented, 

2. Universal in their influence. 

3. Eternal in their blessings. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 28. In the Flock, Not Over It. 
I. "In" the flock as to his personal hope. 

II. "In" the flock as to all the relations and responsibilities of life. 
III. This makes ministerial sympathy possible. — {Vaughn, Rev. Dr. C. J.) 



4. His tender and weighty farewell, — vss. 32-38. 

Paul's last words to the elders of Ephesus are few, but they 
carry the profoundest feelings of his great spirit. Reminding them 
of his own self-denying example, in working with his own hands 
for his daily bread, and the utter absence of all covetous desires he 

321 



XX: 32-38] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



beseeches them in like manner to remember the weak ones of the 
flock, and to keep ever in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, that 
He Himself said, — It is more blessed to give than to receive. And 
while he turns them away from himself as no longer able to care 
for and help them, "he commends them to God, and to the word of 
His grace, which was able to build them up, and give them the in- 
heritance among all them that are sanctified." 

Then, with a final prayer the touching interview is ended. With 
sorrowing hearts and many tears the parting, which they knew 
would be final, came on; and they accompanied him to the ship, — 
"sorrowing most of all for the word which he had spoken that they 
should see his face no more." 



Verse 33. Tie minister must not be a covetous man; — but in all things 
an example to his congregation. — Vs. 37. Partings on earth look to the 
blessed inheritance and reunions of the better world above; and our sorrows, 
therefore, are not hopeless bereavements. 

Vss. 22-22,. The Wisdom of Providence in Concealing the Future. 

I. Adapted to promote a life of faith. 

II. Teaches the necessity of prayer. 

III. Leads to the cultivation of a spirit of moderation. 

IV. Tends to arm us against troubles. 

V. Intended to prepare us for a better state. — (^CThe Preacher.) 



Vs. 32. The Word of Grace. 



I. 
II. 



Restoring the ruins of sin. 

Investing with the heavenly inheritance. 



Vs. 3Sa. The True Brotherhood. 



I. 
II. 
III. 



Helping the weak. 
Remembering Christ's word. 
Receiving the blessing of self-sacrifice. 



Vs. 35. The Beatitude of the Giver. 



I. 
II. 
III. 
IV. 



The example of St. Paul. 

The great maxims of the Great Teachers. 

The words of the Lord Jesus. 

The example of Jesus. — {Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXI : 1-16 



Vs. 35. Giving and Receiving. 

I. We can give only w^hat we have received. 
II. We have received in order that we may give. 
III. It is better to give than to receive. — {Thomas, Rev. U. R.) 



(c) From Miletus to Jerusalem, — vss. 21:1-16. 

I And when it came to pass that we were parted from them and had set 
sail; we came with a straight course unto Cos, and the next day unto Rhodes, 
and from thence unto Patara : 2 and, having found a ship crossing over unto 
Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail. 3 And when we had come in sight 
of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed unto Syria, and landed at 
Tyre; for there the ship was to unlade her burden. 4 And, having found the 
disciples, we tarried there seven days ; and these said to Paul, through the 
Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem. 5 And when it came to 
pass that we had accomplished the days, we departed, and went on our 
journey; and they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way till 
we were out of the city; and, kneeling down on the beach, we prayed, and 
bade each other farewell ; 6 and we went on board the ship, and they returned 
home again. 7 And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we ar- 
rived at Ptolemais ; and we saluted the brethren^ and abode with them one 
day. 

8 And on the morrow we departed, and came unto Csesarea : and, enter- 
ing the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we abode 
with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters, who prophesied. 10 
And as we tarried there some days, there came down from Judea a certain 
prophet named Agabus. 11 And coming to us, and taking Paul's girdle, he 
bound his own feet and hands, and said. Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall 
the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall de- 
liver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12 And, when we heard these things, 
both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 
13 Then Paul answered. What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for I 
am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of 
the Lord Jesus. 14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, 
The will of the Lord be done. 

15 And after these days we took up our baggage and went up to Jerusa- 
lem. 16 And there went with us also certain of the disciples from Csesarea, 
bringing with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we 
should lodge. 



I. The voyage to Ccesarea, via Tyre and Acre, — vss. 1-7. 2. With Philip, 
the Evangelist, — vss. 8-14. 3. The arrival in the Holy City, — vss. 15-16. 



323 



XXI: 1-7] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



I. The voyage to Ccesarea, via Tyre and Acre, — vss. i-/. 

If, as seems probable, Paul's address at Miletus was on the 
Lord's Day, April 23d, A. D. 58, and like the one at Troas pro- 
longed into the night, he must have torn himself away from his 
beloved friends on Monday, the 24th. Some of those who had 
accompanied Paul to Asia were probably left by him at Miletus. 
Luke and Trophimus, at any rate, are the only persons of the 
company, which left Corinth with him, who are mentioned as con- 
tinuing with him to the end of his journey. By the evening of the 
24th of April they found anchorage at the island of Cos; and by 
the evening of the next day they had come to Rhodes, and found 
safe anchorage in that notable harbor. The 26th of April they 
spent in sailing away from the islands of Ionia across to the 
shores of Lycia, reaching the mainland at Patara. 

It was necessary for the returning missionaries to take another 
ship at this point, as Patara was the port to which the vessel on 
which they had been sailing was destined. Happily they found 
one crossing over to Phoenicia; and at once they went aboard and 
set sail. It was about four hundred and fifty miles from Patara 
to Tyre by the course they took, in sight of Cyprus, but south of 
that island. They would probably make about one hundred and 
twenty-five miles a day and night (for in the open sea they would 
continue sailing by night), and this was about the average rate of 
going of sailing vessels in those days, so that it would take nearly 
four days to reach Tyre. And, if we may suppose they left Patara 
on Thursday, April 27th, it would be the Lord's Day, April 30th, 
when they landed on the Syrian shore. 

As Paul was now over two weeks before Pentecost there was no 
longer any special need for haste, and he tarried seven days in 
Tyre. There seem not to have been many disciples in this com- 
mercial emporium; and the missionaries had to search them out, 
for so the phrase, "having found the disciples," literally signifies. 
And with them the travelers tarried in restful fellowship. This 
communion so grew in all the elements of tender affection that 
when the week had expired, finding themselves unable to persuade 
Paul to change his mind and plans, and heed the Divine intima- 
tions of coming trouble, they went with him to the ship. It is a 

324 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXI : 8-14 



beautiful yet pathetic picture which the historian paints for us of 
that Httle group of beHevers with their wives and children parting 
on those Syrian sands with the home-going evangelists. Together 
they knelt upon the beach in prayer ; and so bade each other f arewU. 

The new ship soon brought the missionaries from Tyre to 
Ptolemais, or the modern Acre, where they finally debarked, their 
voyages on the deep for the present being ended. They saluted 
the brethren of Acre, and tarried with them one day. It is forty- 
four miles from Acre to Cassarea; and the travelers could accom- 
plish the journey easily in two days. They probably reached 
Csesarea on the loth of May, and remained with Philip, the evangel- 
ist, one of the seven deacons, for a number of days. Four or five 
days of blessed fellowship with this unique household would still 
give Paul time enough to reach Jerusalem by the 17th of May; 
and he would probably not wish to arrive in the city much before 
the actual date of the Pentecostal Feast. 



2. With Philip, the Evangelist, — vss. 8-14. 

The incidents of these days in Philip's house are notable, and 
somewhat difficult of interpretation. The prophesying virgin daugh- 
ters of the honored evangelist would give Paul, if he wished it, a 
good opportunity to learn the will of his Divine Master. The com- 
ing and symbolic prophecy of the old prophet, Agabus (who more 
than twenty years before in Antioch had foretold the coming 
famine), gave Paul positive assurances of the danger he was sure 
to encounter in going up to Jerusalem. What was the meaning of 
these f oretellings ? Did the Lord mean that Paul should heed them, 
and escape the danger by keeping away from Jerusalem? So the 
Csesarean brethren seemed to think; and they besought Paul not 
to go up to Jerusalem. But Paul would not be persuaded. The 
most satisfactory explanation of Paul's wilful ignoring of the 
words of Agabus, and all previous intimations of coming trials, 
is that he believed the Lord was testing his faith and steadfastness : 
and therefore they were of no avail in turning him aside from the 
course on which he believed himself divinely guided. So he an- 
swered his brethren, — "What do ye, weeping and breaking my 
heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at 

32s 



XXI:i5-i6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." Then they ceased to 
importune him, and said, ''The will of the Lord be done." 

Vs. 13. Preparedness for Death. 

I. Death detaches a man from depending on what is material. 
II. Death involves an experience of utter loneliness. 
III. Death brings us into the most vivid realization of God's presence. 

(The Homilist.) 



3. The arrival in the Holy City, — vss. 15-16. 

The missionaries left Philip probably after the Lord's Day, 
May 14th, in time to accomplish the journey of seventy-five miles 
from Csesarea to Jerusalem by the 17th of May, the Feast of Pente- 
cost beginning on that day at six o'clock in the evening. And so on 
Wednesday, May 17th, A. D. 58, Paul was domiciled with Mnason 
of Cyprus, an old (or, as per the Revision, an early) disciple: and 
the third great missionary journey was ended. 

Vs. 15. An Old Disciple. 

I. Hold fast to your early faith, and to the Christ whom you have known. 
II. The welcome we should be ready to give new thoughts and ways. 
III. The beauty that may dwell in an obscure life. 

{Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 

So far as Luke's narrative carries us, this is the end of Paul's 
missionary labors. A brief sketch of the chronology of Paul's Hfe, 
up to this point, will not be uninteresting, nor out of place. The 
subjoined details follow in the main Lewin's chronicle, wdth which 
many other writers substantially agree. 

Paul was converted in the year A. D. 37, four years after the 
Crucifixion. Till A. D. 40 he was in retirement in Arabia. He 
then came to Jerusalem, and soon after, to escape the plottings of 
the Jews, he was sent to Tarsus, spending several years in evangel- 
izing Syria and Cilicia. Barnabas brought him to Antioch in A. D. 
43. They two visited Jerusalem, with relief for the poor of that 
city, in the famine that occurred in the reign of Claudius, i. e., in 

226 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXI : 15-16 



the year A. D. 44. The subsequent ministry in Antioch carried 
them to the spring of A. D. 45, — and to the Great Missionary Com- 
mission. The spring, summer and autumn of A. D. 45 were spent 
in the First Missionary Journey, via Cyprus from Antioch to 
Derbe in Lycaonia, and the return via Perga and Attalia. After 
the return from Attaha, for a number of years, — five or six, per- 
haps, — the controversy in Antioch, and its settlement by the First 
Christian Council, occupied the attention of the missionaries. In 
the year A. D. 51 Paul and Silas went forth on the Second Mission- 
ary Journey, — carrying them from Antioch to Corinth; and from 
which they returned, after nearly four years, in the spring of 
A. D. 54. The Third and Last Missionary Journey, ''from Jeru- 
salem round about unto Illyricum," occupied nearly four years 
more, running from the summer of A. D. 54 to the Feast of Pente- 
cost in the spring of A. D. 58. 

Twenty-one years had now passed since Paul became "the slave 
of the Lord Jesus Christ," as he loved to call himself ; and he was 
not yet advanced in life, being probably less than sixty years old. 
But his exhausting labors, infirmities, and persecutions had doubt- 
less broken down his physical strength, and made him prematurely 
old; so that a few years later, less than half-a-dozen probably, he 
could speak of himself as "such an one as Paul the aged." But 
his indomitable spirit had yet much and most powerful testimony 
to give as one of the Lord's witnesses, — though he must utter that 
testimony in chains! 

327 



DIVISION III. 



WITNESSES "UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE 
EARTH/'— XIII : I— XXVIII 13 1. 

PART II.— THE TESTIMONY OP PAUL THE PRISONER,— 
XXI : 1 7— XXVIII :3 1. 

Section i. — The Preliminary Events, — 21 :i7-4o. 

Sub-section i. — The Fruitless Device, — vss. 17-30. 

17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 
18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James ; and all the 
elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he rehearsed one 
by one the things which God had wrought among the Gentiles through his 
ministry. 20 And they, when they heard it, glorified God; 

And they said unto him. Thou seest, brother, how many thousands there 
are among the Jews of them that have believed ; and they are all zealous 
for the law : 21 and they have been informed concerning thee, that thou 
teachest all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling 
them not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 
22 What is it, therefore? they will certainly hear that thou art come, 23 Do 
this therefore that we say to thee : We have four men that have a vow on 
them : 24 these take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges for 
them, that they may shave their heads : and all shall know that there is no 
truth in the things whereof they have been informed concerning thee, but 
that thou thyself also walkest orderly, keeping the law. 25 But as touching 
the Gentiles that have believed, we wrote, giving judgment that they should 
keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from 
what is strangled, and from fornication. 26 Then Paul took the men, and 
the next day, purifying himself with them, went into the temple, declaring 
the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for 
every one of them. 

27 And when the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, 
when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands 
on him, 28 crying out. Men of Israel, help : This is the man that teacheth 
all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place; and 
moreover he brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath defiled this holy 
place. 29 For they had before seen with him in the city Trophimus the 

328 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXI : 17-20 



Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. 30 
And all the city was moved, and the people ran together; and they laid hold 
on Paul, and dragged him out of the temple : and straightway the doors 
were shut. 



I. Paul's report to James and the elders of Jerusalem; and their reception 
of his tidings, — vss. 17-20. 2. The plan to counteract the unfriendly 
rumors about Paul's course and ministry, — vss. 21-26. 3. The failure of 
this effort to quiet these injurious reports, — vss. 27-30. 



I. Paul's report to James and the elders of Jerusalem; and their 
reception of his tidings, — vss. ij-20. 

The day following their arrival in the Holy City the mission- 
aries presented themselves before the leaders of the Mother-Church. 
This was on the Day of Pentecost. Twenty-eight years had now 
gone by since the Pentecostal Baptism of the Holy Spirit. In that 
time the Gospel had spread with marvelous rapidity over a large part 
of the Roman Empire; and for three-fourths of that period Paul 
had been the most indefatigable and successful evangelist of the 
new faith. And now he comes to Jerusalem to tell his brethren 
of the successes of his last great missionary tour. He does not 
come as a subordinate to report to his superiors. Rather as to 
co-equal brethren he rehearses the Lord's doings among the heathen, 
that they and he may rejoice together. 

Luke's narrative is very brief. Some things we know which 
he does not tell. We cannot indeed say who composed the full 
missionary delegation. We know that Paul and Luke and Trophi- 
mus were in the company. We are left to conjecture, — a safe con- 
jecture surely, — as to some things which took place in that con- 
ference. Luke tells us that Paul "rehearsed one by one the things 
which God had wrought among the Gentiles through his ministry." 
But Luke does not tell us, what was almost certainly true, that he 
and Trophimus were among the commissioners of the Churches in 
foreign lands to bring their offerings to the help of their poorer 
brethren. 

When the brethren in Jerusalem heard these things they glorified 
God, giving thanks for the triumphs of the Gospel, — for the solici- 

329 



XXI: 21-26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



tude of the missionaries to comply with the wishes of the leaders 
in Jerusalem as to the offerings for the poor, — and for this tangible 
evidence of the Christian faith and love thus manifested by un- 
known and far-off brethren. Luke does not mention the offerings, 
but this can hardly be taken as an evidence that the Jerusalem dis- 
ciples felt no gratitude to Paul and their Gentile brethren. 

Vss. i7-2oa. The Foreign Missionary's Return. 

I. His welcome home. 
XL His report from the field. 
III. The result of his story. 

Vss. 18-19. Paul's Christian Conduct. 

I. Reporting to suspicious brethren, 
n. Telling what the Lord had done, 
in. Bringing offerings for poor saints. 



2. The plan to counteract the unfriendly rumors about Paul's course 
and ministry, — vss. 21-26, 

Naturally the leaders in Jerusalem were anxious that men, who 
had been so honored of the Lord, and so mindful of His poor, 
should be received with favor by their Jewish brethren. Injurious 
reports were rife in Jerusalem concerning the teaching of the 
apostle in his evangelistic tours. "They have been informed con- 
cerning thee," such was the report, "that thou teachest all the 
Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them 
not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs." 
And when his enemies caught him in the temple they cried out 
against him, "This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere 
against the people, and the law, and this place." To stem the tide 
of opinion adverse to the Master Missionary, created by these 
reports, and to establish him if possible in the good graces of those 
who were so zealous for the law, the leaders of the Mother-Church 
had devised this scheme, viz. — Taking advantage of the fact that 
Paul was himself apparently in the city, among other things, to 
fulfill a vow, and that there were four other men likewise seeking 
release from, by fulfilling, their Nazarite obligations, but were as 

330 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXI : 21-26 



yet unable to meet the expense, they proposed that Paul should join 
these men, pay the entire charges for the oblations and sacrifices 
of the company, and so continue with them through the usual time 
until all the prescriptions of the ritual (Num. 6:13-21) had been 
fulfilled. In this way he, who was charged with seeking the aboli- 
tion of the Mosaic institutes, would furnish incontestable evidence 
of his zeal and faithfulness in "walking after the customs." To 
secure the apostle's acquiescence in their plan, they would have 
him note that it was in no respect in contravention of the decrees 
of the First Christian Council, for those decrees had no bearing 
upon the conduct of Jewish believers, but only of the Gentiles. 

It was a beautiful scheme ; but it would not work. It is a little 
doubtful whether Paul himself had much faith in it. But he, who 
was willing to become all things to all men, if by any means he 
might save some, could not refuse compliance with the request of 
his brethren. 

Before noting the breaking down of the plan, we may well 
pause a moment to inquire whether, after all, the charges against 
Paul were not substantially true. Certainly in the letter they were 
false. Paul had no mission to persuade his countrymen to aposta- 
tize from Moses. His contention always and everywhere had been 
that the Gentile converts should not be compelled to become Jews 
in order that they might be acknowledged as Christians. 

But, as we ponder the matter more deeply, we must reach the 
conclusion that the opinion of the Jews was measurably correct, 
and that in the last analysis the principles which Paul advocated 
must break down Judaism, and set aside the Mosaic ritual. It was, 
indeed, to the Gentiles of Galatia that Paul wrote, "In Christ Jesus 
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth anything." But 
any discerning mind could not fail to reason, — If that principle 
be correct, it cannot be more true of the Gentiles than it is of the 
Jews. Paul, first of all, and most clearly of all, must have per- 
ceived the justice of this conclusion; and we can imagine him 
saying, "If my brethren would look below the surface they would 
see the futility of all efforts after concord of outward observances, 
and that there is and must ever be an irrepressible conflict between 
the law of the letter, as observed by these Jewish zealots, and the 
law of the spirit by which the missionaries of the Cross are 
governed." 

331 



XXI:27-3o] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss, 2ob-26. The Compromise. 

I. Conceived in a good spirit. 
II. Liable to be misunderstood. 
III. Failed because too superficial. 

Vss. 2ob-24. Concessions to Weak Brethren. 
Legitimate. 

1. When they do not require any violation of conscience. 

2. When they remove stumbling-blocks. 

3. When they promote peace. 
Illegitimate. 

1. When they mislead the weak brother to think he is right. 

2. When adopted for peace's sake rather than righteousness. 

3. When they offend as many as they please. 
{The Preacher's Homiletical Commentary.) 

Vss. 24-26. Paul Among the Nazarites. 

I. Not as a slave of human ordinances. 
II. Not as a hypocrite before m.en. 

III. Not as a fugitive from the Cross. — (Lange's Commentary.) 



3. The failure of this eifort to quiet these injurious reports, — 

vss. 2^-30. 

Whatever surprise there was among the believing brotherhood 
over this outburst of fanatical zeal, Paul could hardly have been 
taken unawares, even if he had not been warned by the Spirit that 
bonds and afflictions awaited him. He foresaw the impending out- 
break, and was prepared for it. The storm broke suddenly and 
with uncontrollable fury. Some of the Jews from Asia saw the 
apostle in the temple possibly completing the fulfillment of his 
vow. They knew Paul; possibly they were from Ephesus, and 
knew of the commotions in that great city arising from Paul's 
ministry. They were evidently kindred spirits with those who pur- 
posed killing Paul on his proposed voyage from Corinth. They had 
seen the apostle in the streets of Jerusalem in company with Trophi- 
mus, a Gentile of Ephesus, and in their malice supposed and re- 

332 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXI : 31-40 



ported that Paul had brought an alien into the sacred precincts of 
the temple. And, taking counsel of their fears, the multitudes mag- 
nified the one into many, and saw their Holy House overrun with 
foreigners. So their fury blazed forth. The tidings spread. "All 
the city was moved, and the people ran together; and they laid 
hold on Paul, and dragged him out of the temple," and "straight- 
way the doors were shut." The fanatics would not shed blood in 
the Holy House; but once outside the sacred enclosure they began 
to beat Paul, and doubtless would soon have killed him. The mob 
acts without reason, and such was the ungovernable rage of the 
multitude it seemed as if no power on earth could save Paul from 
being done to death. The poisoned arrows of malice and falsehood 
had done their deadly work; and all schemes of conciliation and 
outward concord were swept into the maelstrom of blind and un- 
reasoning hate, where the brave and faithful missionary of the 
Cross lay wounded and bleeding in the outer courts of the House 
of God. 

Vs. 29. The Folly of Supposing. 
I. The immeasurable mischief wrought by it. 

II. The folly of supposing that one is a Christian who has not even the be- 
ginnings of faith in Christ. 

1. Some are deceived by Satan. 

2. Some are self-deceived, 

3. Some are too indifferent to know the reality of their condition. 

{Hallock, Rev. Dr., in The Treasury.') 



Sub-section 2. — The Apostle's Arrest, — vss. 31-40. 

And as they were seeking to kill him, tidings came up to the chief cap- 
tain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 And forthwith he 
took soldiers and centurions, and ran down upon them : and they, when they 
saw the chief captain and the soldiers, left off beating Paul. 33 Then the 
chief captain came near, and laid hold on him, and commanded him to be 
bound with two chains ; and inquired who he was, and what he had done. 
34 And some shouted one thing, and some another, among the crowd : and 
when he could not know the certainty for the uproar, he commanded him to 
be brought into the castle. 35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was 
that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the crowd; 36 for the 
multitude of the people followed after, crying out, Away with him. 

37 And as Paul was about to be brought into the castle, he saith unto 

333 



XXI: 31-36] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



the chief captain, May I say something unto thee? And he said, Dost thou 
know Greek ? 38 Art thou not then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred 
up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the 
Assassins? 39 But Paul said, I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no 
mean city: and I beseech thee, give me leave to speak unto the people. 40 
And when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned 
with the hand unto the people ; and when there was made a great silence, he 
spake unto them in the Hebrew language. 



I. The rescue from the mob, — vss. 31-36. 2. The colloquy with the chiliarch, 
—vss. 37-40. 



I. The rescue from the mob, — vss. 31-36. 

The fanaticism of the rabble saved Paul's Hfe. Had they 
smitten the apostle down where they first laid hold on him, he would 
have been beyond human help. Their superstitious reverence for 
the temple delayed the bloody and decisive stroke, and gave time 
for the effective interposition of the Roman power. The chiliarch 
of Jerusalem acted with military promptness; and, with soldiers 
and centurions, ran down from the castle. His intervention was 
none too soon, but happily it was not too late. The aegis of imperial 
Rome was thrown over the prostrate Paul; and he rose from the 
ground, safe from the vindictive mob, — safe, though a prisoner in 
chains, — safe, though still assaulted even to the castle stairs by the 
infuriated crowd, who, like disappointed wolves, were still ravening 
for their prey. 

Verse 32. God's help is always opportune. 



2. The colloquy with the chiliarch, — vss. 37-40. 

There were cool heads in that seething throng, — none more so 
than was Paul's. Blood-stained and dust-covered as he doubtless 
was, and uncertain, as it might seem, whether Rome or the rabble 
would triumph in the conflict, he maintained a tranquil spirit, as- 
sured that, whether he died by the hands of the mob or the military 

334 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXI : 37-40 



power, the Lord, who had appeared to him from the opened 
heavens on the Damascus road, would be with him still. 

So, while the people were crying out, "Away with him," Paul 
bespoke the attention of the chiliarch, and besought of him an 
opportunity to speak to the people. It was the same brave spirit 
that would have faced the howling mob of Diana's worshippers in 
the theater at Ephesus. The chiliarch's judgment of the apostle 
comes out in the surprise of his answer, "Dost thou know Greek? 
Art thou not then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred 
up to sedition, and led out into the wilderness, the four thousand 
men of the Assassins?" We can hardly find fault with the chief 
captain's surmise. With torn and disordered garments, stained 
with blood and dust, Paul must have looked more like a brigand 
than a preacher of righteousness. But the nobility of his nature 
shines forth from his ragged attire, as he answers, "I am a man, 
who am a Jew, of Tarsus, a city of CiHcia, — a citizen of no mean 
city ; and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people." The 
chiliarch was profoundly impressed by the dignified demeanor of 
his prisoner and the attitude of conscious rectitude and innocence 
which he exhibited; and graciously acceded to his request, and 
gave him leave to address his fellow-countrymen. 



I. A picture of human passions. III. A picture of Divine guidance. 
11. A picture of Christian heroism. {Lange's Commentary, ad loc.) 



Section 2. — The Testimony on the Stairs, — vss. 22:1-22. 

I Brethren and fathers, hear ye the defence which I now make unto you. 
2 And when they heard that he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, 
they were the more quiet : and he saith, 

3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at 
the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law 
of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as ye all are this day: 4 and I 



Vss. 31-40. Paul's Rescue. 



Vs. 40. The Stairway Sermon. 



I. The preacher. 
II. The pulpit. 



III. The congregation. 

IV. The unction of the speaker. 
{Lange's Commentary, ad loc.) 



335 



XXII: 1-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

persecuted this Way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both 
men and women. 5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all 
the estate of the elders : from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, 
and journeyed to Damascus to bring them also that were there unto Jerusa- 
lem in bonds to be punished. 6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my 
journey, and drew nigh unto Damascus, about noon, suddenly there shone 
from heaven a great light round about me. 7 And I fell unto the ground, 
and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 
8 And I answered. Who art thou. Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus 
of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9 And they that were with me beheld 
indeed the light, but they heard not the voice of Him that spake to me. 
10 And I said. What shall I do. Lord? And the Lord said unto me. Arise, 
and go into Damascus ; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are 
appointed for thee to do. 11 And when I could not see for the glory of that 
light, being led by the hand of them that were with me I came into Damas- 
cus. 12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported 
of by all the Jews that dwelt there, 13 came unto me, and, standing by me, 
said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And in that very hour I looked 
upon him. 14 And he said. The God of our fathers hath appointed thee to 
know His will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his 
mouth. 15 For thou shalt be a witness for him unto all men of what thou 
hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be bap- 
tized, and wash away thy sins, calling on His name. 

17 And it came to pass, that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and 
while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance, 18 and saw Him saying 
unto mej Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; because they 
will not receive of thee testimony concerning Me. 19 And I said, Lord, 
they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them 
that believed on thee: 20 and when the blood of Stephen, thy witness, was 
shed, I also was standing by, and consenting, and keeping the garments of 
them that slew him. 21 And he said unto me. Depart: for I will send thee 
forth far hence unto the Gentiles. 

22 And they gave him audience unto this word; and they lifted up their 
voice, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit 
that he should live. 



I. Winning attention, — vss. 1-5.. 2. The heavenly vision, — vss. 6-16. 3. The 
trance in the temple, — vss. iy-22. 



I. Winning attention, — vss. J-5. 

It requires some reflection and comparison to realize the tact 
and wisdom with which Paul measured up to the new and trying 
circumstances which now surrounded him. By the rehearsal of 

336 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXH : 1-5 



a noble and thrilling story he had won Pisidian Antioch. By a dar- 
ing linking together of the risen Nazarene with the "unknown God'^ 
whom they ignorantly worshipped, he had gained the mingled re- 
spect and ridicule of the wise men of Athens. But these were easy 
tasks compared with gaining the ear of a howling mob of his 
infuriated countrymen. Manacled and bound, beaten and sore, he 
stands before the helmeted Roman and the raging Jew. He has 
permission to speak. Of what avail to speak? Who will put 
down the stones and quietly scatter the handsful of gathered dust, 
and Hsten to one already practically adjudged to death? But Paul 
will be heard. In a moment those discordant noises cease. The 
raging multitudes are silent and intent. A master hand is sweeping 
the chords of their better natures; and the fanatics of the temple 
give the renegade Jew the profoundest audience. How did Paul 
manage it? 

The mother tongue had something to do with it. The voice of 
him they heard, and many seemingly knew not, was not that of a 
barbarian. The prisoner had spoken to the chiliarch in the mel- 
lifluous tones of Athenian culture; but such, they say, are not the 
tones we now hear. Nor are they the sonorous syllables of our 
Roman masters. They are the unmistakable accents of our 
mother tongue. He can be no stranger. He must be a kinsman 
of our own. Let us listen to his words. 

Paul's unfailing courtesy had much also to do with the atten- 
tion he obtained. After the treatment he had received we might 
have expected the apostle to break out upon his enemies in the 
fierce invectives with which he overwhelmed the Paphian sorcerer. 
He would have been justified in denouncing them as bloodthirsty 
and insensate violators of all human and divine laws. But he did 
not. How sweet and serene sounded that voice of the reviled and 
persecuted missionary of the Cross over all the babel din and roar 
of angry passion and cries of malignant hate, — "Men! Brethren 
and Fathers !" Paul looked upon the fury-laden countenances of 
men in their prime, who crowded the castle stairs to avenge the 
profanation of their Holy House; and he saw a picture of what 
he himself had been a score of years before, and still had been but 
for Grace Divine. Venerable heads and flowing beards were in 
that motley throng. In their earnest faces and fire-flashing eyes he 
saw the deep and passionate love with which so recently he had 

337 



XXII: 1-5] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



gloried in the divine inheritances of Judaism; and, with some- 
thing of his Master's compassion, he took them all to his great 
heart as fellow-heirs of the Divine Promises, and so addresses 
them, — ''Men! Brethren and Fathers, hear ye my defence which 
I now make unto you." 

And then he tells the story of his own early life. And that 
story, so artless and true, riveted their attention; and they gave 
him a patient audience. Had they thought him a renegade or 
stranger? How strange to many of them to learn that he was as 
well-born and bred as they were themselves. A Hebrew of the 
Hebrews, though born in a foreign city, he had been brought up 
in their own holy city, and at the feet of one of their most re- 
nowned Rabbis. He had been instructed "according to the strict 
manner of the law of their fathers," and had been zealous for 
God, even, says Paul, "as ye all are this day." Not only so, but 
he had been an unrelenting persecutor of the followers of the 
Nazarene. To these facts the high priest and the whole body of 
the Sanhedrin could bear witness, for from him and them he had 
received his commission to follow them "of the Way" even to 
foreign cities. 

It was a brief but tactful and masterly introduction to what Paul 
had yet to say. With their attention thoroughly won, and their 
minds pondering perhaps the unspoken question. What could have 
so changed our bold and fiery co-religionist? the way is open for 
Paul to rehearse the story of his conversion. 



Verse 2. The power of the mother-tongue; — see Acts 2:8. The Gospel 
will come to men with the greatest power in their vernaculars. — ^Vs. 3. 
Happy he who is not ashamed of his upbringing. — Vs. 4. The recalling of 
wicked ways may be for the glory of God, as here, or for personal humilia- 
tion, as in I Tim. i : 12-16. 

Vss. 1-21. Paul's Defence. 

A model 
I. Of wisdom and moderation. 
11. Of simplicity. 

III. Of truthfulness. 

IV. Of courageous utterance. — {Clark, Rev. F. E.) 

338 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXH ; 6-16 



2. The heavenly vision, — vss. 6-16. 

We have already considered the details of this remarkable 
scene on the Damascus road (See Div. 11, Page 128) ; and there 
is little need for us to dwell upon it here. The boldness, fidelity, 
and far-reaching consequences of Paul's testimony deserve special 
attention. He was speaking to many who believed Jesus was an 
impostor, — to many who denied the resurrection, and scofifed at 
the whole doctrine of immortality. But he does not hesitate to set 
forth the few and simple facts which had revolutionized his whole 
life and character. He had seen Jesus of Nazareth in the glory 
of the opened heavens. He had heard His voice, and had obeyed 
His command; and through the ministry of Ananias his eyes had 
been opened, and he had received a commission, higher and holier 
than that of the Grand Council, to go forth unto all men as a wit- 
ness of the things which he had seen and heard. 

The crowd was held spellbound by this convincing testimony, 
and awed by the evident supernaturalism of this heavenly vision; 
and they continued to follow him with intensest interest, as he now 
unveils a story not elsewhere repeated in the sacred chronicle. 



Verses 8 and 10. The awakened soul cries, "Who art thou, Lord?" The 
converted spirit says, "What shall I do, Lord?" 

Vss. 2-16. Paul's First Vision. 

I. The material and external. 

1. The great light. 

2. The appearance of Jesus. 

3. The voice. 

IL The internal and spiritual. 

1. The cardinal truth announced. 

2. The solemn remonstrance. 

3. The appointment to a grand commission. — {The Homilist.) 

Vs. 8. A Significant Voice from Heaven. 

I. A change of worlds does not change the personal identity of a man. 
IL Great natures are never ashamed of their origin, however humble. 
IIL The meanest spots on earth, when they become the scenes of holy 
lives, are famous in the universe. — (The Homilist.) 



339 



XXII: 17-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss. 14-15. Paul's Glorious Destiny. 

I. To know the will of God. 

11. To see the Righteous One. 

III. To hear the word from His mouth. 

IV. To be the Lord's witness. 



Vs. 

I. A possible] 
II. A praying ^ work. 
III. An urgentj (The 



16. Getting Rid of Sin. 
Homilist.) 



3. The trance in the temple, — vss. 12-22. 

Paul's reference to this episode in his experience was an 
indirect answer to the charge that he had profaned their Holy 
House. How could he desecrate the place whither he had gone to 
pray in the most solemn crisis of his life and destiny, — where he 
had so agonized in supplication for his fellow-countrymen as to 
lose all consciousness of time and place and circumstance, and 
where, whether in the body or out of the body who could tell? he 
had heard his Divine Lord speaking to him, and pointing his course 
and ministry away from the temple and city of his fathers, — ''Make 
haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; because they will not 
receive of thee testimony concerning me." And when he pled to be 
allowed to remain and his special qualifications to be a convinc- 
ing and persuasive witness to his own people, as he said, "Lord, 
they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every syna- 
gogue them that believed on thee ; and when the blood of Stephen 
Thy witness was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting, and 
keeping the garments of them that slew him," his wishes were dis- 
regarded; and he was under a divine compulsion to turn his back 
upon all that was dear to him, and go ''far hence to the Gentiles." 
It was not that he loved them less, but the risen and glorified Jesus 
of Nazareth more, that his missionary labors had been among alien 
people. Paul's justification of his entire life and work rested upon 
the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and His enthronement as 
sovereign Lord of His blood-bought Church. He had gone to the 

340 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXH : 17-22 



Gentile world, because to that world he had been sent by One who 
**was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the 
Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead," and whose 
commands he and they alike must ever obey. 

The brave, true words were all in vain. The bigoted and fanat- 
ical multitude would not hear of any mission of mercy to the 
Gentile world. They closed their ears, and lifted up their voices 
in burning hate against the prisoner on the stairs, "Away with such 
a fellow from the earth; it is not fit that he should live." With 
every manifestation of fury they cast off their garments for a 
battle even with the temple guard, and threw dust in the air, in 
the excess of their impotent rage, till the chiliarch removed his 
prisoner from the hands of violence, and brought him into the safe 
precincts of the castle. 



Verses 18-19. The Lord's choice of our field of labor may be wholly 
different from ours. Obedience, not questioning, is our duty. — Vs. 22. The 
blindness of bigotry. 

Vss. 17-21. Paul's Second Vision. 

I. The place, — in the temple. 

II. The season, — while praying. 

III. The form, — in a trance. 

IV. The subject, — the commission. — {The Homilisf.) 



Section 3. — Before the Chief Captain, vss. 22:23-29. 

23 And as they cried out, and threw off their garments, and cast dust 
into the air, 24 the chief captain commanded him to Be brought into the 
castle, bidding that he should be examined by scourging that he might know 
for what cause they so shouted against him. 25 And when they had tied 
him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by. Is it lawful for 
you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned? 26 And when 
the centurion heard it, he went to the chief captain and told him, saying, 
What art thou about to do? for this man is a Roman. 

27 And the chief captain came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a 
Roman? And he said, Yea. 28 And the chief captain answered, With a 
great sum obtained I this citizenship. And Paul said, But I am a Roman 
born. 29 They then that were about to examine him straightway departed 
from him: and the chief captain also was afraid when he knew that he 
was a Roman, and because he had bound him. 

341 



XXII: 23-26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 
I. The assertion of rights, — vss. 23-26. 2. The power of a name, — vss. 27-29. 



I. The assertion of rights, — vss. 2^-26. 

Paul was safe from the hands of the raging mob; but he was 
still in the hands of a brutal soldiery. The chiliarch had listened 
to Paul's story on the stairs; but it had been to him in an un- 
known tongue. Apparently he had understood nothing, and the 
sudden and terrific outburst of hatred and violence must have 
been an enigma to him. He must get at the truth by examining 
the prisoner himself : and the only way known to either the civil 
or military jurisprudence of that day for getting at the truth was 
by scourging and torture. And so Paul, defenceless and lone, 
manacled and shackled still, is stripped of his upper garments, and 
bound with thongs to the leaning post, that on his naked back the 
lictors may lay, with cruel energy, their terrible rods, that the 
truth may be extracted from his unwilling lips. It was an out- 
rageous indignity; and Paul will not submit to it. With the ever 
potent cry, — *'Civis Romanus sum," — "I am a Roman citizen," — 
he takes shelter under the imperial eagle, and scatters his tormen- 
tors in hasty and terrified flight, because they had dared even so 
much as to prepare for beating the bound but sacred person of a 
Roman citizen, unheard and uncondemned. 

The centurion first takes the alarm and reports his finding to 
his superior officer. The chiliarch, with trembling and haste, seeks 
of the prisoner confirmation of his right to such immunity as he 
claimed. He did not have long to seek. He knew the privileges of 
Roman citizenship, and the penalties attached to any false claim. 
His doubts were soon resolved, and he is satisfied when the pris- 
oner in chains boldly and confidently asserts, 'T am a Roman born." 



2. The power of a name, — vss. 2y-2g. 

Paul had come to a crisis in his career. He is no longer in 
the power of his malignant countrymen. Henceforth, till his 
appeal is heard by Caesar, he is not a renegade Jew but a citizen 

342 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXH : 27-29 



of Rome. And, from that interview in the castle till he is handed 
over to the custody of Burrhus in the Roman Prsetorium, Paul is 
treated with marked courtesy and consideration by all the Roman 
officials with whom he has to do. It was the power of a great 
name. Throughout the world-wide empire it had been ordained 
that the person of a Roman citizen should be sacred. He could 
not be bound or scourged uncondemned; and his appeal, though 
he might be the most obscure citizen of the most distant province 
of the empire, must be carried at whatever cost to the palace of 
the C^sars. It was a great privilege. Paul had but once before 
invoked its protection; but now, at the psychological moment, — 
when his missionary work is ended, and he is beginning his witness 
to Jesus of Nazareth as a prisoner in chains, — he invokes the pro- 
tection of the imperial power, and claims the rights of Roman 
citizenship. 

Did Paul's assertion of his rights manifest any want of faith 
in the care and keeping of the risen Nazarene? We think not. 
We believe in the use of means. Paul had the assurance of the 
Divine care, and that he should bear witness to his gracious Master 
in the imperial capital. But as God appointed the end through 
human instrumentalities, so Paul believed it right to attain the 
end desired and ordained by the use of the appointed instru- 
mentalities. Just because he trusted God and believed in the 
Divine intervention, therefore with confidence he claimed the rights 
of Roman citizenship, and invoked the power of that puissant name. 



Verse 28. The world resounds with the assertion of rights; religion is 
vocal with the obligations of duty. — Vs. 29. Sometimes duty demands the 
claim of rights; and he is dereHct who does not assert himself for the honor 
of his Divine Master and the advancement of his cause among men. 



Section 4. — Paul's Last Testimony in Jerusalem, — vss. 22:30 ^23:35. 

Sub-section i. — Before the Council, — vss. 22:30 23:11. 

30 But on the morrow, desiring to know the certainty wherefore he was 
accused of the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the chief priests and all 
the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before 
them. 

343 I 



XXII :3o] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



23:1 And Paul, looking steadfastly on the council, said, Brethren, I have 
lived before God in all good conscience until this day. 2 And the high priest 
commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. 3 Then said 
Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: and sittest thou to 
judge me according to the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary 
to the law? 4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? 
5 And Paul said, I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest : for it is 
written. Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people. 

6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the 
other Pharisees : he cried out in the Council, Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a 
son of Pharisees; touching the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called 
in question. 7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between 
the Pharisees and Sadducees ; and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sad- 
ducees say there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Phari- 
sees confess both. 9 And there arose a great clamor : and some of the 
scribes of the Pharisees' part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil 
in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel? 10 And 
when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul 
should be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and 
take him by force from among them, and bring him into the castle. 

II And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good 
cheer: for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou 
also bear witness at Rome. 



I. The meeting of the Sanhedrin, — vs. 30. 2. Paul and Ananias, — vss. 23:1-5. 
3. The divided court, — vss. 6-10. 4. Divine encouragement, — vs. 11. 



I. The meeting of the Sanhedrin, — vs. 50. 

This assembly was convened by command of the Roman chili- 
arch. Ordinarily we may suppose this High Court of the Jews 
would not have been disposed to acknowledge the right of any 
foreigner to govern the movements of their august body. But they 
were quite willing to concede a point, if they might get summary 
judgment on this renegade Jew. 

And the motive which actuated the chief captain in convoking 
this assembly was entirely praiseworthy. He would do justice to 
all parties ; but he had been unable to do so up to this time, because, 
Paul's stairway speech having been to him in an unknown tongue, 
he had been left in the dark both as to the charges brought against 
the prisoner, and the nature and conclusiveness of his defence. He 

344 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXHI : 1-5 



will not again expose the prisoner to the violence of the mob ; but 
will hear what the official representatives of Israel have to say 
against him. So he brings Paul down from the castle, and sets 
him before the Council. The meeting seems not to have been held 
within the precincts of the temple, as the Roman's presence would 
have been a profanation of the Holy House. And the proceedings 
seem also to have been in the Greek tongue, certainly not in the 
vernacular Aramaic or Hebrew; otherwise the chiliarch might 
have been as much nonplussed as he had been on the castle-stairs, 
through his inability to understand the language spoken. 



2. Paul and Ananias, — vss. 2^:1-^. 

The most cursory reading of this passage can hardly fail to 
lead us to suspect that we have here only a fragmentary report of 
what was said at this memorable m.eeting of the Jewish Council. 
It does not seem as if Paul's well-known courtesy and gentlemanly 
breeding would have permitted him, after a searching scrutiny of . 
the Venerable Court, to break out upon them with this solemn 
asseveration of his conscientiousness, — "Brethren, I have lived 
before God in all good conscience until this day." The abruptness 
and earnestness of the words lead us instinctively to feel that we 
have here neither the beginning nor the ending of the conference; 
and that the annalist has written only that which was most essen- 
tial to the continuity of his chronicle. And it was in the midst 
of the examination that Paul makes this extraordinary claim, and 
the high priest gives the unwarranted command to smite the pris- 
oner on the mouth. It was the unjust word of an irascible and 
domineering spirit; and it provoked the quick and just resentment 
of the defenceless prisoner. 

We cannot find it in our hearts to censure Paul for his hot 
reply. Some writers, indeed, think his words were hasty and ill- 
advised, and say Paul showed little of "the meekness and gentle- 
ness of Christ." They forget that even "the gentle Jesus" was ever 
deeply stirred by oppression and abuse of power, and blazed forth 
in severest arraignment of the hypocrites, who "devoured widows' 
houses, and for a pretence made long prayers." Paul's anger was 

345 



XXIII: 6-10] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



quick and hot, but short-lived. The sun did not go down upon 
his wrath. And he was quick to apologize. But it is to be observed 
that he did not apologize for what he said, but for saying it to the 
official priestly head of his people. The fact, as he stated it, must 
stand. It was a judge of the law who had commanded him to be 
smitten contrary to law. This was an injustice and an oppression ; 
and it encounters the prisoner's just rebuke. Paul has no mind to 
take back what he had said. But he will honor the office, while 
protesting against the tyranny of the officer. The prisoner does 
not seem to have known who the officer was, his purblind vision 
probably hindering a clear view of the personnel of the Court; but 
instantly, on learning his name and authority, he bows to his 
power, and finds Scripture for his obedience. And so this episode 
ends as Paul perceives more clearly the composition of the Court. 



Verse i. The function of conscience; — not always a safe guide. — ^Vs. 2. 
Self-control a necessary qualification for a judge. — Vs. 5. Respect for 
authority. 



3. The divided Court, — vss. 6-10. 

It did not take the vigilant apostle long to discover that, as for- 
merly when he was himself a member, two parties divided the 
Great Synagogue. With the doctrinal position of one side he was 
in substantial sympathy. To this fact he appeals in his defence, — 
''Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees ; touching the hope 
and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." Was this 
appeal a trick of Paul to divide the court, and win a temporary 
triumph? We cannot believe that Paul would condescend to any 
such artifice. That division and confusion resulted from what the 
prisoner said is true ; but Paul had far deeper ends to subserve. It 
was the missionary's last testimony to the official representatives of 
his fellow-countrymen. As before in Corinth he shook out his gar- 
ments against the Jews, to whom he ministered no more, and 
turned to the Gentiles, so here, voicing his last testimony to Israel, 
he centers their interest and his defence upon the death and resur- 
rection of Jesus of Nazareth. For we must believe that, as his 
manner is, Luke gives us but a glance at the happenings of that 

346 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXHI : 1 1 



day in the Council Chamber. And surely Paul would not let slip 
the opportunity to give his full and solemn testimony to the fun- 
damental fact, which he had been commissioned to witness to the 
peoples in all the empire, both Jews and Gentiles, to whom he had 
been sent. So the voice of the missionary evangelist is heard no 
more by his people in Jerusalem; and from the roar and tumult of 
contending factions the messenger, ''that bringeth good tidings," is 
safely withdrawn to the fastnesses of the castle. 



Verse 8b. Holding the truth in unrighteousness. — Vs. 9. Losing the 
lesson of immortality in quarreling about the fact. 

Vs. 9. Enmity Against God. 

I. In what way men fight against God. 

1. When they hate and abuse His people. 

2. When they restrain and silence His ministers. 

3. In their enmity against the truth. 

4. In dissatisfaction with, and resistance to, God's providences. 

5. In resisting conviction. 

II. The guilt and danger of such conduct. 

1. It proceeds from ignorance. 

2. It is vain and futile. 

3. The issue will be fatal. 

4. Let us rather be reconciled, and not fight against God. 

5. If not thus reconciled, the contest will have no end. 

{The Preacher.) 



4. Divine encouragement, — vs. 11. 

Paul rests safely beneath the shield of Rome. Does he sleep? 
After such a day and fruitless testimony can his spirit find repose? 
It would seem not. Paul could not be bhnd to the probability that 
his last words had been spoken to his kindred according to the 
flesh. It must have been profoundly saddening that his evangelistic 
career should thus end in scenes of turmoil and strife. And we 
can well imagine Paul, with his exquisite sensibilities, lying down 
in a felon's cell under great depression of spirits. But, though for- 
saken of men and despised, he is not forgotten by his gracious 
Lord. And that night that Lord stood by him with words of 

347 



XXIII: 12-35] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



peace, encouragement and comfort, — ''Be of good cheer: as thou 
hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear wit- 
ness also at Rome." It was "a, word in season to him that was 
weary," and by it Paul was girded anew with strength for the long 
and trying days of captivity, and weary waiting in monotonous 
inactivity. 



Verse ii. We are immortal till our work is done. 



Sub-section 2, — The Conspiracy, — vss. 12-35. 

12 And when it was day, the Jews banded together, and bound them- 
selves under a curse, saying they would neither eat nor drink till they had 
killed Paul. 13 And they were more than forty that made this conspiracy. 

14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound 
ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 

15 Now therefore do ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he 
bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more ex- 
actly : and we, before he comes near, are ready to slay him. 

16 But Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, and he came and 
entered into the castle and told Paul. 17 And Paul called unto him one of 
the centurions, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain; for he 
hath something to tell him. 18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief 
captain, and saith, Paul, the prisoner, called me unto him, and asked me to 
bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say to thee. 19 And 
the chief captain took him by the hand, and, going aside, asked him pri- 
vately. What is it that thou hast to tell me? 20 And he said. The Jews have 
agreed to ask thee to bring down Paul to-morrow unto the council, as though 
thou wouldest inquire somewhat more exactly concerning him. 21 Do not 
thou therefore yield unto them : for there lie in wait for him of them more 
than forty men, who have bound themselves under a curse neither to eat nor 
to drink till they have slain him : and now they are ready, looking for the 
promise from thee. 22 So the chief captain let the young man go, charging 
him. Tell no man that thou hast signified these things to me. 

23 And he called unto him two of the centurions, and said, Make ready 
two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and horsemen three score and 
ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night : 24 and he 
bade them provide beasts, that they might set Paul thereon, and bring him 
safe unto Felix, the governor. 25 And he wrote a letter after this form : 
26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix, greeting. 27 This 
man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be slain of them, when I came 
upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a 

348 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXHI : 12-15 



Roman. 28 And, desiring to know the cause wherefore they accused him, 
I brought him down unto their council : 29 whom I found to be accused 
about questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of 
death or of bonds. 30 And when it was shown to me that there would be a 
plot against the man, I sent him to thee forthwith, charging his accusers also 
to speak against him before thee. 31 So the soldiers, as it was commanded 
them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 But on the mor- 
row they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle : 33 and 
they, when they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, 
presented Paul also before him. 34 And, when he had read it, he asked of 
what province he was ; and when he understood that he was of Cilicia, 35 I 
will hear thee fully, said he, when thine accusers are also come : and he com- 
manded him to be kept in Herod's palace. 



I. The conspiracy concocted, — vss. 12-15. 2. The conspiracy discovered, — 
vss. 16-22. 3. The conspiracy thwarted, — vss. 23-35. 



I. The conspiracy concocted, — vss. 12-15. 

We willingly yield to the impression that the originators of this 
new diaboHsm must have been thugs and cut-throats, — "lewd fel- 
lows of the baser sort." But we are obliged to go further. While 
the plot did not come to a head, and we cannot say positively how 
far those high in authority would have gone in conniving at this 
atrocious villainy of abandoned men, we cannot resist the belief 
that they approved the scheme, and, if it had been actually carried 
out, it would have been a fitting expression of their undying 
hatred of the great missionary apostle. 

And, if we inquire why Paul continued to be the object of such 
bitter, unrelenting and deadly opposition, the answer must be 
found in such particulars as these, viz. — (i) The destructive in- 
fluence of Paul's fundamental teaching upon the whole life of 
ceremonialism to which the Jewish people were so wedded. — 
(2) The opposition of the natural heart to the principle of salva- 
tion by free grace through faith in Jesus of Nazareth. Less than 
six months had elapsed since Paul had expounded this fundamental 
tenet of the Gospel in his great letter to the Church at Rome ; and 
many of the Jews in Jerusalem were doubtless acquainted with its 
sweeping and exclusive provisions, as he everywhere had preached 
what he there wrote. — (3) But more than all else, it must be said, 

349 



XXIII :i6-22] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



the opposition of the Jews, in its terrible intensity, can be fully 
accounted for only on the ground of their judicial blindness and 
abandonment by the God of their fathers. But a few years were 
to pass away before the storm of fire and blood would sweep over 
the entire land: and in less than a dozen years Jerusalem would 
be overthrown in the midst of such calamities as the world had 
never witnessed. The nation was judicially hardened; and in the 
blindness of their hatred of the truth the people were rushing on 
to the precipice of overwhelming destruction. 



Verse 12. The short-sightedness of wickedness ; — the removal of Paul by 
the hand of violence would not have stoppecj the progress of the Gospel. — 
Vs. 13. The imprecations of an oath are trifles to men with murder in their 
hearts. We may be sure the forty conspirators did not die of starvation be- 
cause their plan to kill Paul did not succeed. 



2. The conspiracy discovered, — vss. 16-22. 

The carefully arranged plan of these conspirators, and the 
simple instrumentality by which it was brought to light, open up 
fruitful lines of thought. We are set to wondering about Paul's 
family, and come to realize how little we know of his kindred. 
That his parents belonged to the sect of the Pharisees we know. 
That they were in comfortable temporal circumstances we have 
reason to believe; for, if not, they could hardly have sent their 
son, while yet a lad, up to Jerusalem to be further taught by the 
renowned Gamaliel. His father was evidently a man of high char- 
acter and wide influence in Tarsus; and for some signal service 
to the state had been invested with the rights and privileges of 
Roman citizenship. And these rights and privileges were made 
hereditary in his family, and belonged to his household as well 
as to himself. 

In that household was a sister, who shared her brother's Roman 
citizenship, and doubtless like him before his conversion was pas- 
sionately devoted to Judaism. She naturally found her way to 
Jerusalem in due time, and seems to have been living there at the 
time of her brother's arrest. She was a married woman; and it 
was through her son that the plottings of Paul's enemies were 

350 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXHI : 35 



brought to naught. We can hardly believe that this sister was a 
Christian. If she had been, it would have seemed more natural 
for her brother Paul to lodge at her house rather than Mnason's 
when he came to Jerusalem on that 17th of May. And, besides, if 
she had been a Nazarene, it is not likely that she or her son could 
have become cognizant of the schemes of the forty oath-bound 
conspirators. But the claims of natural affection prevailed over 
the bigotry of Jewish fanaticism ; and though Paul was dead to his 
Jewish kindred and his name had long since been cast out as evil 
and accursed, his sister or his sister's son could not sit idly by and 
see him fall a victim to the pitiless wiles of wicked men. And so 
that sister's son brought tidings to the prisoner in the castle of the 
danger which confronted him. 



Verse 16. The weakest instrumentalities are in God's hand most mighty 
in effecting good results. 



3. The conspiracy thwarted, — vss. 23-33. 

The chiliarch of Jerusalem seems to have come to entertain a 
high regard for his prisoner; and this fact, with the further fact 
that it was his official duty to safeguard the persons and rights of 
those committed to his custody, explain the soldierly promptitude 
with which he immediately concerted measures to head off the 
machinations of Paul's malignant foes. A little army of four hun- 
dred and seventy legionaries, horsemen and spearmen, with beasts 
for the prisoner to ride on, are made ready, and file out of the 
fortress of Antonia at 9 o'clock the same night, to carry the apostle 
away from the hatred and violence of his fellow countrymen, that 
in due time he may confront his accusers before the governor. 
The night ride of forty miles brought them in the early morning 
to Antipatris; and thence onward for twenty-five miles further the 
seventy horsemen convoyed the prisoner to Csesarea and to Felix, 
to whom Lysias consigned him with a letter of commendation. 

This letter, the only specimen of its kind in the New Testament, 
is interesting in that it gives us the official view of Paul's case as 
it appeared to a Roman officer, and is the first judgment in favor 
of his release, as having done nothing worthy of death or of bonds. 
And while it shows the fair-mindedness of the chiliarch, inciden- 

351 



XXIV: 1-27] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



tally it shows also an inclination to stretch the truth in the assump- 
tion of a worthy motive in what he had done. He had rescued Paul 
because he had understood that he was a Roman, — which, as a 
matter of fact, was not true. He discovered Paul's citizenship not 
before but after he had rescued him. 

The Roman governor gave the apostle a brief preliminary au- 
dience; and, learning that he was a Cilician, promised him a full 
hearing as soon as his accusers were come. So Paul rested in 
Herod's Prsetorium. 

Verse 23. It is sometimes best for a general to decline the gage of battle, 
and to withdraw his forces to a more advantageous position. The chiliarch 
did wisely in sending Paul to Felix, rather than seek to defend him from the 
fanatical Jews in Jerusalem. 

Vs. 35. Paul at C^sarea. 

I. At the end of his second missionary journey. 
II. At the close of his missionary activity. 
III. As a prisoner in the hands of the Romans. 



Section 5. — Paul before Felix, — vss. 24:1-27. 

I And after five days the high priest Ananias came down, with certain 
elders, and with an orator, one Tertullus ; and they informed the governor 
against Paul. 2 And when he was called, Tertullus began to accuse him, 
saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy much peace, and that by thy providence 
evils are corrected for this nation, 3 we accept it in all ways and in all places, 
most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. 4 But, that I be not further 
tedious unto thee, I entreat thee to hear us of thy clemency a few words. 
5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of insurrections 
among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of 
the Nazarenes : 6 who moreover assayed to profane the temple ; on whom also 
we laid hold ; 8 from whom thou wilt be able, by examining him thyself, 
to take knowledge of all these things whereof we accuse him. 9 And the 
Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that these things were so. 10 And 
when the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, Paul answered, Foras- 
much as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this na- 
tion, I cheerfully make my defence : 1 1 seeing that thou canst take knowledge 
that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem: 
12 and neither in the temple did they find me disputing with any man or 
stirring up a crowd, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city, 13 Neither can 
they prove to thee the things whereof they accuse me. 14 But this I confess 
unto thee, that, after the Way which they call a sect, so serve I the God of 
our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which 

352 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXIV: 1-23 



are written in the prophets; 15 having hope toward God, which these also 
themselves look for, that there shall be a resurrection, both of the just and 
the unjust. 16 Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of 
offense toward God and men always. 17 Now, after some years, I came to 
bring alms to my nation and offerings : amidst which they found me purified 
in the temple, with no crowd, nor yet with tumult: but there were certain 
Jews from Asia — 19 who ought to have been here before thee, and to make 
accusation, if they had aught against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves 
say what wrong-doing they found when I stood before the council, 21 except 
it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them. Touching the resur- 
rection of the dead I am called in question before you this day. 22 But Felix, 
having more exact knowledge concerning the Way, deferred them, saying, 
When Lysias, the chief captain, shall come down, I will determine your mat- 
ter. 23 And he gave order to the centurion that he should be kept in charge, 
and should have indulgence ; and not to forbid any of his friends to minister 
unto him, 

24 But, after certain days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a 
Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25 
And as he reasoned of righteousness, and self-control, and the judgment to 
come, Felix was terrified, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I 
have a convenient season, I will call thee unto me. 26 He hoped withal that 
money would be given him of Paul : wherefore also he sent for him the of- 
tener, and communed with him. 27 But when two years were fulfilled Felix 
was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and, desiring to gain favor with the Jews, 
Felix left Paul in bonds. 



I. His public hearing, — vss. 1-23. 2. His private testimony, — vss. 24-27. 



I. His public hearing, — vss. 1-2^. 

Events were moving rapidly with the apostle just now. He had 
reached Jerusalem from his last four years' missionary journey 
on the 17th of May; and it was not yet the ist of June ("Not 
more than twelve days, etc." — Vs. 11), when he was called to 
plead to the charges against him before the Roman governor. 
Ananias and certain of the elders had come down from Jerusalem 
to prosecute the case against Paul. They availed themselves of the 
services of a professional advocate to formulate the charges against 
the prisoner at the bar. Dismissing Tertullus' fulsome exordium, 
and coming at once to the gravamen of the indictment, we cannot 
but be astonished at the flimsiness of the charges. They were 

353 



XXIV: 1-23] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



three, viz. — (i) Paul was a pestilent fellow, and mover of insur- 
rections among the Jews throughout the world. (2) He was a 
ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. And (3) He had essayed 
to profane the temple. 

The most cursory examination of these charges will show how 
little there was in them. Only one had any basis of fact to sus- 
tain it, that was the second ; and to this, as we shall see, Paul pleads 
guilty. The first charge is presented in general terms to make an 
impression of something very serious. Throughout the entire 
world the prisoner had been a fomentor of disorder and rebellion, — 
which was totally false. And, even if it had been true, Felix had 
no jurisdiction beyond his own province ; and it was vain to bolster 
up a weak cause by roaming the world to gather up and cite other 
indefinite and unsupported instances of pernicious activity. Then, 
as to the third charge, it is notable that Tertullus does not allege 
any actual profanation of the Holy Temple; because it could be 
easily established that there had been no call for a purification of 
the polluted sanctuary, and evidently therefore the Jews them- 
selves did not believe that it had been profaned. So the advocate 
had to content himself with simply charging that Paul had at- 
tempted to do this terrible thing. 

The apostle, being given permission to speak, enters an emphatic 
denial in toto of the first and third charges preferred by the coun- 
sel for the prosecution. In rebuttal of the first, he confines himself, 
as was perfectly proper, to his course of life while under the gov- 
ernor's jurisdiction, and declares that "neither in the temple did 
they find me disputing with any man, or stirring up a crowd, nor 
in the synagogues, nor in the city." As to the third charge he is 
equally explicit and emphatic. He had just the week before come 
up to Jerusalem, bringing alms to his countrymen, and offerings in 
their Holy House, in the midst of which ''they found me" not 
profaning the temple, but "purified, with no crowd, nor yet with 
tumult." 

Paul's answer to the second charge calls for a more specific and 
careful examination. In substance he admits the truth of the accu- 
sation. He does not indeed claim to be a ringleader of the sect of 
the Nazarenes; but he confesses to the governor that "after the 
Way which they call a sect, so serve I the God of our fathers." 
But even in this he claimed to be walking in the footsteps of the 

354 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXIV: 1-23 



fathers, ''believing all things which are according to the law, and 
which are written in the prophets." And emphasizing the motive 
of such a life gives him the coveted opportunity to proclaim the 
glorious doctrine of the resurrection, of which he had been or- 
dained a witness ; ''having hope toward God, which these also them- 
selves look for, that there shall be a resurrection both of the just 
and the unjust." At first glance it seems surprising that the depu- 
tation sent to prosecute the case against Paul should have been 
chosen from the Pharisaic portion of the Sanhedrin. Further 
reflection, however, may lead us to believe that the apostle's ene- 
mies were shrewd enough to see that it might prejudice their cause 
to send as prosecutors those who were known to be the opponents 
of the prisoner's views, as he had expressed them in the council, 
and as he continued to express them before the governor. In 
believing the truth of the resurrection, and living the life of a 
faithful witness to that great fact, he is bold to claim before the 
governor, what he had declared before the Great Synagogue, — 
"Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offence 
toward God and men always." 

In closing his defence Paul challenges his prosecutors to bring 
any proof whatever of the indictment to which he is pleading, and 
dares them to put a finger upon a single act of wrongdoing on his 
part, even when he stood before the council, and they were search- 
ing his record, "except it be," he says, "for this one voice, that I 
cried standing among them. Touching the resurrection of the dead 
I am called in question before you this day." We have already 
seen reason to believe that Paul's use of this language was no 
trick designed to stampede the Court and secure a favorable verdict 
(see Chap. 23:6-10). And his present reference to the matter 
cannot be interpreted as in any sense a confession that he had 
possibly done wrong on that occasion. But in this way Paul serves 
notice on his accusers, and on the presiding judge as well, that 
there could be no adequate consideration of his case that did not 
traverse the testimony to the resurrection of the dead, founded 
on the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. 

It was evident to the governor that the determination of the 
case so far must turn upon the veracity of the parties at the bar. 
But Paul was one; his accusers were many. It is charitable to 
believe that Felix was somewhat prepossessed in favor of the 

355 



XXIV: 24-27] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



prisoner; and he would give him the benefit of any corroborating 
testimony. So he defers any decision till he could hear what the 
chiliarch of Jerusalem had to say. Meanwhile Paul is to be 
treated as a Roman prisoner. "And he gave order to the cen- 
turion that he should be kept in charge, and should have indul- 
gence; and not to forbid any of his friends to minister unto him." 



Verse i. Paul and Tertullus, — true and false eloquence contrasted. 

Vss. 14-16. The True Christian. 

I. What he believes: — "All things written in the Scriptures." 
II. What he confesses : — The hope of the resurrection. 
III. What characterizes his life: — Keeping a conscience void of offence 
toward God and man. 

Vs. 16. Conscience. 

1. Ignorant. III. Erring. 

II. Sleeping. IV. Seared. 

Vs ^4. The Necessity of Christ's Resurrection. 

I. It was a moral impossibility that Christ should be holden of death. 

II. It was a natural necessity that Jesus should rise from the dead, 

(Canon, Rev. Dr. F.) 

Vs. 16. The Christian Ascetic. 

I. "Herein." 

II. "Exercise myself." 

(The word is the root of "ascetic") 

III. "Conscience." 

IV. Constant watchfulness in living such a life "toward God and men." 

(Vaughn, Rev. Dr, J. C.) 



2. His private testimony, — vss. 2 4.-2 j. 

This Paul had an opportunity to give, while awaiting the re- 
sumption of the public hearing. The Herods were, without excep- 
tion, a cruel and profligate race? There ran in the blood a strange 
mixture of wickedness and superstition, unblushing defiance of 
God's law, and curiosity about any reported manifestation of the 

356 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXIV : 24-27 



supernatural. Herod Agrippa, the Great, was for a time under 
the strange though not saving influence of the fiery preacher of the 
wilderness, John the Baptist. His son, Herod Antipas, willingly 
united with Pilate in sending Jesus to Calvary ; but he was glad to 
see him and hoped to see some wonder-work wrought by him. It 
was probably the same spirit of unspiritual curiosity that led the 
profligate Drusilla, a Herod of a succeeding generation, though liv- 
ing in shameless adultery with the Roman governor, to desire to 
hear the renowned prisoner now in Herod's Praetorium. The report 
of his teaching and works had doubtless gone abroad through the 
world; and this abandoned Jewess and her licentious paramour 
were curious to hear what such a man would say, and possibly see 
what he could do in the realm of the supernatural. 

So Paul is summoned to appear before the Roman governor 
and his mistress; and they ''heard him concerning the faith in 
Christ Jesus." It was a great opportunity for faithful dealing with 
the interests of immortal souls ; and Paul does not shrink from the 
task. The pertinent themes, which he so boldly dwelt upon, made 
a striking, though transient, impression upon the governor. "As 
he reasoned of righteousness, and self-control, and the judgment 
to come, Felix was terrified." What impression was made upon 
Drusilla is not stated. She was apparently more hardened than 
Felix. Though in a city full of memories of her father, and in 
close proximity to the theater in which the stroke of Divine Ven- 
geance had fallen upon him, her heart seemed more impervious to 
the word of warning than that of her paramour; and it was his 
voice not hers that called for a stay in the hearing, and the dis- 
missal of the preacher with the procrastinating reply, ''Go thy 
way for this time ; when I have a convenient season I will call thee 
unto me." The convenient season for hearing the saving message 
never again came to the Roman governor. He sent for Paul, in- 
deed, again and again; but in doing so he was actuated only by 
mercenary motives. He had the impression that Paul had money, 
or through influential friends could command large resources ; and 
he courted the opportunity to receive a bribe, and set his prisoner 
at liberty. Two years passed away; the public hearing in the 
presence of the chiliarch of Jerusalem is never resumed; Felix is 
superseded, and Paul is left a prisoner in bonds. The procrastinat- 
ing governor disappears from history, while Drusilla and the son 

357 



XXIV 124-27] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

of their adulterous connection, nineteen years later, perish in an 
eruption of Vesuvius ! 

Vs. 25. Paul's Sermon. 

I. Of righteousness. 
II. Of self-control. 
III. Of the judgment to come. 

Vss. 24-27. Felix. 

Why so many take no deep interest in religion. 

I. Because they are not willing to break with their sinful past. 

II. Because they are not willing to entertain the thought of a coming judg- 
ment. 

III. Because they are waiting for a convenient season. 

Vs. 25. Procrastination. 

I. The explanation of it. 

II. The mistake of it. 

Vs. 25. A Convenient Season. 

I. Why the procrastination of so many. 
II. The sin, folly and danger of it. 

Vs. 25. The Danger of Delay in Conversion. 

I. You may not live. 

II. There are no promises for the future. 

III. You will have many absorbing cares. 

IV. You may never again feel like becoming a Christian. 

Vss. 1-27. Paul Before Felix. 

Christianity in contact with a corrupt heart. 
I. The truth here enforced. 

II. The natural effect of such truth. 

III. The manner in which the impression of such truth is warded off. 

(Barnes, Rev, Dr. Albert.) 

Vs. 25. Delay in Religion. 

I. The plea of delay is fraught with guilt. 

II. The plea of delay is delusive. 

III. The plea of delay is dangerous. — (Dewey , Rev. Orrville.) 

358 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXIV : 25 

Vs. 25. Paul's Sermon to Felix and Drusilla. 

I. An enlightened preacher who discovers due discernment in the selection 
of his subjects. 

II. A conscience appalled and confounded on the recollection of its crimes, 

and of that awful judgment where they must be judged. 
III. A sinner alarmed, but not converted ; — a sinner who desires to be saved, 
but delays his conversion. — {Saurin, Rev. Jacques.) 



Vs. 25. The Choice and Conduct of Felix a Warning to Anxious Souls. 

I. The path which men feeling the movements of the Spirit ought to 
pursue. 

II. The danger, presumption, and sinfulness of such a course as Felix pur- 
sued. 

III. The necessity of your giving heed to the things of your peace now. 

{Smith, Rev. Walter.) 

Vs. 25. Paul's Sermon before Felix. 

I. An appropriate sermon. 
11. An affected audience. 

III. A lamentable disappointment. — {Spurgeon, Rev. Charles H.) 



Vs. 25. Paul Reasoning before Felix. 

I. The manner in which Paul preached. 
11. The topics on which he preached. 
III. The effect of his preaching. — {Auld, Rev. William.) 



Vs. 25. Preacher and Hearer. 

I. An exemplary preacher. 

1. Practical in his topics. 

2. Logical in his style. 

3. Personal in his application. 

4. Bold in his manner. 
II. A procrastinating hearer. 

1. Parried conviction of guilt. 

2. Secret purpose of amendment. 

3. Infatuated delay of reformation. — {The Homilist.) 

359 



XXIV: 25] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 25. Paul Preaching before Felix. 

I. Although Felix and Drusilla sent for Paul that he might discourse con- 
cerning the faith in Christ it does not appear to have been concern- 
ing this faith that the apostle chiefly spoke. 
II. The effect of the sermon upon Drusilla was nothing, but Felix trembled. 

(Melvill, Rev. Henry.) 

Vs. 25. Paul before Felix. 

I. No faithful minister of the Gospel will accommodate his preaching to 
the tastes and wishes of his hearers, at the expense of God's truth. 
II. It is the part of a faithful minister to address the understanding and 
conscience. 

III. A Christian minister may often find it necessary to insist on moral 

duties as well as Gospel truths. 

IV. When the Gospel is thus faithfully preached it will produce anxiety 

and alarm in the bosoms of wicked men. 
V. The folly and danger of procrastination in the concerns of the soul, 
when the sinner is thus awakened. — {Spring, Rev. Dr. Gardner.) 

Vs. 25. The Lash of the Law. 

I. Waiting for the sermon. 
II. The appropriate sermon. 

III. The effect of the sermon. — {Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 

Vs. 25. The Gospel True to the Moral Convictions of Men. 

I. The most successful method of imparting a knowledge of divine truth 
to the human understanding is to present it under its various adapta- 
tions to the persons and circumstances of the inquirers. 
II. Men are seldom found so depraved and reprobate as to have lost all 

susceptibility to the power of Gospel truth. 
III. Under the convictions of an awakened conscience sinners become truly 
concerned for the safety of their souls, and are prepared to listen to 
those teachings which it is the aim of the Gospel to impart. 

{Smith, Rev. Pres't Worthington.) 

Vs. 25. A Trembling Sinner. 

I. Felix trembled, not because of Paul, but because of what Paul said. 
II. Felix trembled, not because Paul was eloquent, but because God was 
just. 

1. What Paul preached was practical truth. 

2. It was also pointed truth. 

3. It was most solemn truth. 

4. It was divine truth. 

360 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXV : 1-12 



III. Felix trembled, not because Paul proved that God was just, but be- 
cause his own conscience admitted it. 

1. Conscience makes a coward of every sinner the moment it is 
aroused. 

2. Conscience is always an ally, in the sinner's heart, on the side of 
the Gospel. 

3. If under the pressure of conscience a man does no more than 
tremble, his trembling will not avail to save his soul. 

{Rohinson, Rev. Dr. Charles S.) 

Vs. 25. The Convenient Season. 

The details of the incident. 
The instruction of the same. 

1. What Felix's answer concedes. 

(1) That he was clearly enlightened. 

(2) That he was divinely drawn. 

2. What did Felix imply? 

(1) That proscrastination quiets down every emotion into apathy 
and indifference. 

(2) That procrastination renders human passion more and more 
inveterate by its own act. 

(3) That procrastination uses up time, out of which the new 
life is to be made. 

3. What did Felix assume? 
That everything can wait on his convenience. 
Two mistakes in this, — 

(1) That anyone's salvation is of more importance to God than 
to himself. 

(2) Supposes the Gospel offer stands always open. 
{Rohinson, Rev. Dr. Charles S.) 



Section 6. — Paul before Festus, — vss. 25:1-12. 

I Festus, therefore, having come into the province, after three days went 
up to Jerusalem from Csesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the principal 
men of the Jews informed him against Paul ; and they besought him, 3 asking 
a favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem; laying a plot 
to kill him on the way. 

4 Howbeit Festus answered that Paul was kept in charge at C^sarea, and 
that he himself was about to depart thither shortly. 5 Let them, therefore, 
saith he, that are of power among you go down with me, and, if there is 
anything amiss in the man, let them accuse him. 

6 And, when he had tarried among them not more than eight or ten 
days, he went down unto Csesarea; and on the morrow he sat on the judgment 
seat, and commanded Paul to be brought. 7 And, when he was come, the 

361 



I. 
II. 



XXV: 1-5] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Jews that had come down from Jerusalem stood round about him, bringing 
against him many and grievous charges which they could not prove; 8 while 
Paul said in his defence, Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the 
temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned at all. 9 But Festus, desiring to 
gain favor with the Jews, answered Paul, and said. Wilt thou go up to Jerusa- 
lem, and there be judged of these things before me? 

10 But Paul said, I am standing before Csesar's judgment-seat, where I 
ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou also very 
well knowest. 11 If then I am a wrongdoer, and have committed anything 
worthy of death^ I refuse not to die; but if none of those things is true 
whereof these accuse me, no man can give me up unto them. I appeal unto 
Csesar. 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered. 
Thou hast appealed unto Csesar: unto Caesar shalt thou go. 



I. The Jews' request, vss. 1-3. 2. The governor's response, — vss. 4-5. 3. 

The second hearing, — vss. 6-9. 4. The prisoner's appeal, — vss, 10-12. 



I. The Jews' request, — vss. 1-5. 

The new governor was a better man than Felix, and entered 
upon the administration of the affairs of his province with com- 
mendable diligence and seeming purpose to execute justice. Three 
days after his arrival in the provincial capital he is in Jerusalem, 
and there meets the request of Paul's enemies. As a matter of 
favor to them they desired him to bring Paul back to Jerusalem, 
ostensibly to be tried not indeed by them but by the governor and 
in their presence, and apparently where their witnesses could be 
easily secured. The request seemed reasonable; but it was only 
a pretext. The real purpose of the chief priests was to accomplish 
the plot of two years before, and by means of the sicarii to waylay 
and assassinate him on the road : and this seems conclusive evi- 
dence that they were guiltily involved with the oath-bound con- 
spirators of Lysias' administration. 



2. The governor's response, — vss. 4-5. 

Whether Festus suspected the designs of the Jews or not does 
not appear from Luke's narrative. It seems probable that he did. 

362 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXV : 6-9 



At any rate, he refused to grant their petition. Paul was a prisoner 
of Rome, under guard in Csesarea, whither he himself expected to 
return soon ; and some of their influential men should go down with 
him, and if there was anything amiss with the prisoner it would soon 
be discovered through their accusations, and a trial before a law- 
ful tribunal. 

This is Luke's statement of Festus' answer. From his report 
of the governor's words to Agrippa (vs. 16) we get the impression 
that Festus was very positive in his refusal, and gave the best of 
reasons for his course. They w^anted sentence against Paul, Festus 
says to Agrippa, *'to whom I answered, that it is not the custom of 
the Romans to give up any man, before the accused have the accus- 
ers face to face, and have had opportunity to make his defence 
concerning the matter laid against him." The governor's words 
give us a high opinion of Roman justice, and of the equitable pro- 
cedure in Roman courts, and at the same time give us the im- 
pression that he knew the Jews really wanted to get Paul into their 
hands, not for trial, but for condemnation and even destruction 
without trial. 

Again Paul's enemies are foiled in their designs against him; 
and reluctantly they have to appear before the governor in Csesarea, 
with their trivial and groundless charges against the apostle. 



Verses 4-5 and 16. The theoretical perfection of Roman jurisprudence. 



3. The second hearing, — vss. 6-p. 

The Jews do not again avail themselves of the services of the 
orator Tertullus, or any other paid advocate. But it soon appears 
that they have nothing new to allege against Paul. When he was 
brought before Festus, seated on the judgment-seat, his accusers 
"stood round about him bringing against him many and grievous 
charges, which they could not prove." What those charges were 
in detail Luke does not tell us. From the prisoner's answer we 
have reason to believe that they were substantially what they had 
alleged before Felix. Paul says, "Neither against the law of the 
Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I sinned at 

363 



XXV:io-i2] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



all"; and in this single sentence denies the three- fold charge made 
now by his enemies before Festus, as formerly before Felix, of 
"heresy, sacrilege and rebellion." 

Manifestly, in the judgment of the governor, there is no case 
against Paul. But Festus was a politician. He knew that Felix 
had fallen before the ill-will of the Jewish people; and he was 
naturally anxious to avoid the snares which led to the overthrow 
of his predecessor. "And, desiring to gain favor with the Jews," 
Festus addresses Paul in the strange and apparently unexpected 
question, — "Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged 
of these things before me?" It seemed like an entire change of 
front on the part of the governor. It had this plausible foundation, 
that, as now appeared, these were more ecclesiastical than political 
questions, and they might be more properly settled by an ecclesias- 
tical than a civil court. But Paul was quick enough to see that this 
would deliver him into the hands of his enemies, even if a trial 
should ever come off. He could save himself only in one way. 
This explains the course he took, as unexpected to Judge and court 
as the governor's question had been to him. 



Verse 8. The impregnable defences of simple truth. 

4. The prisoner's appeal, — vss. 10-12. 

With dignity and serenity of spirit Paul answers the governor, 
"I am standing before Caesar's judgment-seat, where," as a Roman 
citizen, "I ought to be judged." The charges which these Jews 
allege against me are known to the governer to be trivial and base- 
less; and to transfer my case from this Roman tribunal to the 
judgment of the Jewish Sanhedrin would be a travesty of justice, 
against which I am bound to enter my most solemn protest. If I 
have violated any law of the empire, I am ready to pay with my 
life the forfeit of my crime. But if the sum of my villainy is in 
the baseless allegations of my accusers, no one, not even the pre- 
siding judge in this tribunal, may justly deliver me into their hands. 
And having no recourse to prevent it, if such be the mind of the 
governor, I am constrained to carry my case from under his juris- 
diction to a higher court, — "I appeal unto Caesar." 

364 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVI : 1-32 



Thus by one master-stroke Paul delivers himself from all the 
machinations of his Jewish foes, and the needless concessions of a 
subservient judge. All proceedings against him are stayed. The 
prisoner is remanded unto the hearing of Augustus; and the chief 
priests again return to Jerusalem, chagrined and disappointed over 
the failure of this their supreme effort to reach and destroy their 
renegade countryman. They soon had enough to do in the calami- 
ties that were fast coming upon the Holy City. We have no knowl- 
edge that they ever appeared to prosecute their charge against 
Paul before Nero's tribunal. 



Verses lo-ii. Standing upon one's rights is sometimes a sacred duty. 

Vss. 1-12. Paul before Festus. 

I. The manner in which Festus regarded religious questions, — as pertaining 

to others, not himself, or as being trivial. 
11. Reasons why religion should not be so regarded : — 

1. Man has a real interest in it. 

2. He is bound to meet its requirements. 

3. He needs its provisions. 

4. He must perish if destitute of it. — (Barnes, Rev. Dr. Albert.) . 



Section 7. — Paul before Agrippa, — 25:13 26:32. 

13 Now when certain days were passed Agrippa, the king, and Bernice 
arrived at Csesarea, and saluted Festus. 14 And, as they tarried there many 
days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying. There is a certain man 
left a prisoner by Felix; 15 about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief 
priests and elders of the Jews informed me, asking for sentence against him. 

16 To whom I answered, that it is not the custom of the Romans to give 
up any man, before that the accused have the accusers face to face, and have 
had opportunity to make his defence concerning the matter laid against him. 

17 When therefore they were come together here, I made no delay, but on 
the next day sat on the judgment-seat, and commanded the man to be brought. 

18 Concerning whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought no charge of 
such evil things as I supposed; 19 but had certain questions against him of 
their own religion, and of one Jesus, who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to 
be alive. 20 And I, being perplexed how to inquire concerning these things, 
asked whether he would go to Jerusalem and there be judged of these matters. 
21 But when Paul had appealed to be kept for the decision of the emperor, I 
commanded him to be kept till I should send him to Caesar. 22 And Agrippa 

365 



XXVI:i-i8] TPIE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



said unto Festus, I also could wish to hear the man myself. To-morrow, 
saith he, thou shalt hear him. 

23 So on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great 
pomp, and they were entered into the place of hearing with the chief captains 
and the principal men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought 
in. 24 And Festus saith. King Agrippa, and all men who are here present 
with us, ye behold this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews made 
suit to me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying that he ought not to live any 
longer. 25 But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death : and, 
as he himself appealed to the emperor, I determined to send him. 26 Of 
whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have 
brought him forth before you, and specially before thee. King Agrippa, that, 
after examination had, I may have somewhat to write. 27 For it seemeth to 
me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not withal to signify the charges 
against him. 

26:1 And Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thy- 
self. Then Paul stretched forth his hand, and made his defence : 2 I think 
myself happy. King Agrippa, that I am to make my defence before thee this 
day, touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews : 3 especially 
because thou art expert in all customs and questions which are among the 
Jews : wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. 4 My manner of life, 
then, from my youth up, which was from the beginning among mine own 
nation and at Jerusalem, know all the Jews, 5 having knowledge of me from 
the first, if they be willing to testify, that after the straitest sect of our 
religion I lived a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here to be judged for the 
hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers ; 7 unto which promise 
our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. And 
concerning this hope I am accused by the Jews, O king! 8 Why is it judged 
incredible with you if God doth raise the dead? 9 I verily thought with my- 
self that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Naza- 
reth. 10 And this I also did in Jerusalem : and I both shut up many of the 
saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, and, when 
they were put to death, I gave my vote against them. 11 And, punishing 
them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove to make them blaspheme ; and, 
being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign 
cities. 12 Whereupon as I journeyed to Damascus, with the authority and 
commission of the chief priests, 13 at midday, O king, I saw on the way a 
light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me 
and them that journeyed with me. 14 And, when we were all fallen to the 
earth, I heard a voice saying unto me, in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, 
why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. 15 
And I said. Who art thou. Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom 
thou persecutest. 16 But arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end I 
have appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness, both of the 
things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear 
unto thee; 17 delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto 
whom I send thee, 18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness 

366 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH FXXV: 13-27 



to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remis- 
sion of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Me. 
19 Wherefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vi- 
sion : 20 but declared both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem, and 
throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should 
repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance. 21 For this 
cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed to kill me. 22 Having 
therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day, testify- 
ing, both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses 
did say should come: 23 how that the Christ must sufifer, and how that he, 
first by the resurrection of the dead, should proclaim light, both to the people 
and to the Gentiles. 

24 And, as he thus made his defence, Festus said, with a loud voice, Paul, 
thou art mad ; thy much learning is turning thee mad. 25 But Paul saith, I am 
not mad, most excellent Festus ; but speak forth words of truth and soberness. 
26 For the king knoweth of these things, unto whom also I speak freely : for 
I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath 
not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I 
know that thou believest. 28 And Agrippa said unto Paul, With but little per- 
suasion, thou wouldest fain make me a Christian. 29 And Paul said, I would 
to God, that, whether with little or with much, not thou only, but also all that 
hear me this day, might become such as I am, except these bonds. 30 And 
the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them : 
31 and when they had withdrawn, they spake one to another, saying. This man 
doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. 32 And Agrippa said unto Festus, 
Tbis man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar. 



I. The events leading up to the hearing, — vss. 23:13-2/. 2. The testimony of 
the apostle, — vss. 26:1-23. 3. The effect of Paul's faithful witness, — vss. 
24-32. 



I. The events leading up to the hearing, — vss. 2^:1^-2'/. 

Agrippa H and Bernice were son and daughter of that Herod, 
who sixteen years before had been smitten by the Almighty in the 
theater of C^sarea. They were a profligate couple ; and, while the 
rumors of their living together in shameless adultery are not re- 
garded as altogether authentic, there was nothing in their char- 
acters or lives to discredit the report. Bernice was a sort of Jewish 
Cleopatra. A woman of great personal beauty, her experience with 
husbands and paramours was equal to that of the Egyptian queen. 
While yet a child she was betrothed to Mark, the son of the Jewish 
alabarch in Alexandria. He died before the marriage was con- 

367 



XXV: 13-27] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

summated. Shortly after she was married to Herod, king of 
Chalcis, by whom she became the mother of two sons. She was 
left a widow before she was twenty years old, and went to live 
with Agrippa, her brother. To quiet the scandal of their living 
together, she was married to Polemo, king of Cilicia. This union 
was of short duration; and she soon returned to her brother's 
palace. A few years later, in the Jewish war, she allied herself 
with the Roman side, and became the mistress of the commander, 
afterwards emperor, Vespasian, and later of his son Titus. When 
fifty years old she went to Rome and sought in vain to renew her 
intimacy with Titus, now exalted to be sole emperor. She 
and Agrippa spent their last days in retirement in the Imperial 
Capital. 

It was after her separation from the king of Cilicia that Bernice 
and Agrippa visited Festus, to congratulate him on his accession to 
power as procurator of the province. With all their profligacy, tra- 
ditional in the Herodian house, they seemed to share the family 
instinct for some sort of religion, and curiosity about things occult 
and supernatural. When therefore the governor mentioned Paul, 
and dwelt upon the extreme bitterness of the Jews toward him, 
and that, so far as he could discover, the differences between them 
were concerning questions of their own religion, and ''of one Jesus 
who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive," their curiosity 
was excited, and Agrippa greatly desired to hear him. The gov- 
ernor was glad to give his visitors the opportunity to see and hear 
the noted prisoner, as he had reason to believe the king was well 
versed in the laws and customs of the Jewish people, and could 
help him in formulating the case, which he must soon forward, 
with the prisoner, to his royal master in Rome. 

So, on the next day the king and Bernice came, in all the pomp 
and trappings of royalty, attended by their host, the governor, and 
the chiliarchs of the army, and the chief men of the city, to the 
place of hearing. It was probably the same place in which Herod 
Agrippa the Great had made his blasphemous speech, accepting 
divine honors, and being stricken to death by a divine hand. Into 
the presence of this brilliant assembly Paul is introduced by the 
governor, who declared before them all that he had not been able 
to discover that the prisoner had done anything worthy of death. 
It was a just and considerate introduction; and, as soon as 

368 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVI : 1-23 



"Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thy- 
self, the apostle stretched forth his hand and made his defense." 



Verse 13. The contrast of Festus with Felix. — Vs. 19. The fact and the 
affirmation. — Vss. 24-27. The character of Festus for justice and consider- 
ateness. 

Vss. 18-19. One Jesus. 

Merely as a human personage in this world's history, Jesus is great. 
Jesus is great, because he is the central subject of the entire Bible. 
Also because of his great, his transcendent work of atonement and re- 
demption. 

Also in His person and nature as the incarnate Son of God. 
Also at this very moment (the hearing before Festus), He was, and is 

now, "Head over all things to the Church." 
Also He is to be the Supreme and Final Judge and Awarder of the 

everlasting destinies of men and angels. 
Also because such is His connection with the laws and government and 
throne of God, that every human being in the world must of neces- 
sity sustain a personal relation to Him. — {Smith, Rev. Dr. J. Henry.) 



2. The testimony of the apostle, — vss. 26:1-2^. 

The exquisite courtesy of Paul's address can hardly escape the 
notice of even a superficial reader. "I think myself happy, king 
Agrippa, that I am to make my defence before thee this day touch- 
ing all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews, especially 
because thou art expert in all customs and questions, which are 
among the Jews." But the most noticeable fact about Paul's speech 
is the marked emphasis which he immediately proceeds to put upon 
the resurrection. He is to be heard upon all the charges brought 
against him by the Jews. But it appears at once that the sum of 
all these charges centers in his teaching concerning the resurrection 
from the dead of Jesus of Nazareth. 

It is to be observed that Paul is here speaking before a man 
who is an expert in the customs and expectations of the Jewish 
people, and also, as would seem, familiar with the notable events 
in the life of the prophet of Galilee, for the apostle assures Festus 
that "this hath not been done in a corner." 

The course of Paul's testimony is not difficult to follow. The 

369 



I. 
II. 
III. 

IV. 
V. 

VI. 

VII. 



XXVI: 1-23] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



promise, which God had made to their fathers, was the promise 
of a Messiah. To the fulfillment of this promise the children of 
Israel were looking, — "Unto which promise our twelve tribes, ear- 
nestly serving God night and day, hope to attain." 

As to the fact, Paul's expectations had not differed from those 
of his Jewish brethren. But he had been led to see that the prom- 
ised Messiah was to come as a suffering, dying and risen Redeemer. 
This was the hope which Israel cherished. They were mistaken as 
to the character and mission of their sovereign Lord and Deliverer. 
He himself cherished their hope, but with this explanation, that it 
was the glorious hope of a Messiah-Saviour. And for this hope he 
was a prisoner in bonds, and stood before the king and governor 
to be judged, — the hope of eternal salvation through a once cruci- 
fied, dead, and buried, but now risen and exalted Saviour. 

The death and resurrection of the Christ being thus an essential 
article of his belief, Paul proceeds to give his solemn testimony 
to the fact of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, in a plain, 
unvarnished story of his conversion, through the appearance to 
him of that risen and glorified Jesus on the way to Damascus. This 
was not an egotistical thing for Paul to do ; and, in the presence of 
such profligate and scoffing auditors, it called for moral courage of 
the highest order. What he had been as a persecutor of the Naz- 
arenes, and what he had now become as an untiring preacher of the 
faith he had once destroyed, were well known to his accusers, and 
perhaps to Agrippa. Such an event must have had an adequate 
cause. That adequate cause was to be found only in the certainty 
of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This therefore, as a 
faithful witness, the apostle proclaimed. 

In thus preaching a risen Saviour, Paul claims that he did 
nothing at variance with the teaching of the Old Testament Scrip- 
tures. He thus anticipates and answers the charge often brought 
against the early disciples. He could not be justly accused of 
introducing "an unlawful religion." His was the old Hebrew 
faith, that for many years had been admitted to lawful standing 
among the religions of the empire. "Having therefore," he con- 
tinues, "obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day 
testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the 
prophets and Moses did say should come; how that the Christ 
must suffer, and how that He first by the resurrection of the dead 



370 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVI : 1-23 



should proclaim light both to the people and the Gentiles." He 
thus emphasizes the fact that Moses and the prophets taught what 
he, following in their footsteps, also taught; and to these two 
things, — their teaching on the death and on the resurrection of 
the Messiah, — he had added a third cardinal truth, upon the basis 
of the testimony of the witnesses, among whom he now numbers 
himself, viz. — that Jesus of Nazareth was that preappointed suffer- 
ing, risen, and glorified Messiah ! 

This is Paul's second rehearsal of the story of the heavenly 
vision. It accords substantially with his testimony on the castle- 
stairs, and with Luke's narrative of the persecutor's conversion. 
The story of the prisoner in Caesarea gives in more detail the risen 
Lord's words to the arrested persecutor. His new Master outlines 
what he is to be taught more at length by Ananias in Damascus, — 
''iVrise, and stand upon thy feet; for to this end have I appeared 
unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the 
things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I 
will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from 
the Gentiles, unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they 
may turn from darknss to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
God, that they may receive remission of sins, and an inheritance 
among them that are sanctified by faith in me." 



Verses 4-5. The appeal of a good man to the record of his life. 

Vss. 6-7. The Hope of the Promise. 

1. The Jews' mistaken view of it. 
II. Paul's spiritual insight of it 
III. The apostle on trial for his view of it, 

Vss. 8-9. The Credibility of the Resurrection. 

I. The supernatural forces involved in it. 
II. The convincing testimony establishing it. 

Vs. 8. The Resurrection Credible. 

1. Let us look this difficulty in the face. 
IL Let us seek to remove the difficulty. 
III. Let us consider our relation to this truth. 

{Spurge on, Rev. Charles H.) 

371 



XXVI: 10-23] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

- .V -./ .ji. A. ... 

Vss. 10-15. Paul's Conversion. 

I. The malignity and violence of the Pauline persecution. 
II. The radical revolution in Paul's character and life. 
III. The overwhelming demonstration herein of the truth of Christianity. 

Vs. 18. The Apostle's Commission. 

I. Opening blinded eyes. 

II. The saving turning. 

III. The remission of sins. 

IV. The heavenly inheritance. 
V. The sanctifying of faith. 

Vs. 18. Faith in Christ. 

I. The object of faith. 
II. Nature and essence of the act of faith. 

III. The power of faith. 

IV. The guilt and criminality of unbelief. — {Maclaren, Rev. Dr. Alexander.) 

Vs. 18. Christ's Last Gospel Message. 

I. To open their eyes. 
II. To turn them from darkness to light. 

III. To turn them from the power of Satan unto God. 

IV. That they may receive forgiveness of sins. 

V. And an inheritance among them that are sanctified through faith that is 
in me.— (C/ow, Rev. W. M., B. D.) 

Vs. 20. Paul's Preaching. 

I. The widespread audience. 
II. The fundamental truths. 

Vss. 22-23. The Pauline Testimony. 

I. Through Divine help. 

II. Before all classes of men. 

III. Conforming to Old Testament teaching. 

IV. Emphasizing Christ's sufferings and resurrection. 

Vs. 19. Visions and Obedience. 

I. Visions. 
II. Obedience. 

III. The rewards of obedience. — (Hastings, Rev. Dr. James.) 

372 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVI : 24-32 



Vs. 23. Resurrection. 

I. How are we between our body's dissolution and its resurrection? 
II. What is the style of our resurrection body? 

{Crosby, Rev. Dr. Howard.) 



3. The effect of Paul's faithful witness, — vss. 24.-^2. 

It was a noble defence and testimony to the truth. In the time 
and circumstances of the hearing, — in the distinguished personnel 
of the prisoner's audience, — in the belief-compelling elements of 
his story, — in the wide scope of his testimony, and suggestive reve- 
lation of the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures, — and in 
the fullness of the salvation he proclaims; — in all these and other 
particulars, this defence of the missionary apostle before King 
Agrippa, apart even from its inspiration, takes rank among the 
noblest of the Christian apologies. 

The immediate result was disappointing. There was, indeed, 
a unanimous judgment among the grandees of the realm that Paul 
was guiltless of any conduct requiring the cognizance of the law, 
and that, but for his appeal to the Emperor, he might at once be 
set at liberty. As to any permanent influence upon those to whom 
he spake, Paul's words were like rain upon adamant. To the gov- 
ernor the preacher's earnest words seem but the ravings of a 
maniac; while the sin-hardened and profligate king waved him 
aside with mocking incredulity, — "You must think a very little will 
make me a Christian." And the sitting terminates with the apostle's 
noble and Christian prayer, "I would to God that whether with little 
or with much, not thou only, but also all that hear me this day, 
might become such as I am, except these bonds." 



Verse 24. The Spirit-filled man will often seem beside himself to the 
men of the world. — Vss. 31-32. Men of clear views as to human rights are 
often strangely obtuse as to the justice of Divine claims. 

Vss. 24-28. Why Faithful Preaching Is often Ineffective. 

I, Illustrated in the case of Festus. 
II. Illustrated in the case of Agrippa. 



373 



XXVII: i-ii] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vs. 28. Gospel Truth. 

I. The mighty energy of Gospel truth. 

11. The sublime aim of Gospel truth. 

III. The practical method of Gospel truth, 

IV. The solemn failure of Gospel truth. — {The Homilist.) 

Vs. 29. The Philanthropy of the Apostle Paul. 
I. Paul's character. 
II. Paul's circumstances- 
III. Paul's wish. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 25. A Defence of Religious Enthusiasm. 

I. The first ingredient of it is a deep sense of eternity in the heart. 
II. The second is a deep sense of God leading him who has it to do all 

things to His glory. 
III. The third is a fearless and consistent adherence to the language, and 
the doctrines, and morality of the Bible. 

(Chalmers, Rev. Dr. Thomas.) 



Section 8. — While Journeying to Rome, — vss. 27:1 2^:16. 

I And when it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they deliv- 
ered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the 
Augustan band. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was 
about to sail unto the places on the coast of Asia, we put to sea, Aristarchus, 
a Macedonian, of Thessalonica, being with us. 3 And the next day we 
touched at Sidon : and Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him leave to go 
unto his friends and refresh himself. 4 And, putting to sea from thence, we 
sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 And 
when we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we 
came to Myra, a city of Lycia. 6 And there the centurion found a ship of 
Alexandria sailing for Italy; and he put us therein. 7 And when we had 
sailed slowly many days, and were come with difficulty over against Cnidus, 
the wind not further suffering us, we sailed under the lee of Crete, over 
against Salmone; 8 and, with difficulty, coasting along it, we came unto a 
certain place, called Fair Havens ; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea. 

9 And when much time was spent, and the voyage was now dangerous, 
because the Fast was now already gone by, Paul admonished them, 10 and 
said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much 
loss, not only of the lading and the ship, but also of our lives. 11 But the 
centurion gave more heed to the master and the owner of the ship than to 

374 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVH : i-8 



those things which were spoken by Paul. 12 And, because the haven was not 
commodious to winter in, the more part advised to put to sea from thence, 
if by any means they could reach Phoenix, and winter there; which is a 
haven of Crete, looking northeast and southeast. 13 And when the south 
wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their purpose, they weighed 
anchor and sailed along Crete, close in shore. 



I. DifRcult sailing, — vss. 1-8. 2. Stormy weather, — vss. 9-13. 



I. Difficult sailing, — vss. 1-8. 

It is worth our while to note the time of Paul's journey to 
Rome. We may reckon his two years' detention in Csesarea as 
beginning about the ist of June, A. D. 58, — as his hearing before 
Felix occurred less than two weeks after his arrival in Jerusalem, 
from his third missionary journey, which, we have seen reason to 
believe, was on the 17th of May of that year. His hearing before 
Festus therefore, and his subsequent testimony in the presence of 
Agrippa and Bernice, probably took place some time in the mid- 
summer of the year A. D. 60. If these conjectures be correct (and 
as to the year they are only conjectures) the voyage to Rome 
must have begun in the late summer of that year, A. D. 60. 
Whether or not this was the year, we are warranted by the sacred 
narrative in believing that, some time in August or early September, 
Julius with his prisoners embarked at Csesarea and set sail for 
Rome. Touching at Sidon, and keeping to the right of the island 
of Cyprus to land at Myra on the coast of Lycia, in the near 
vicinity of Patara, their course was not an unfamiHar one to Paul. 
As far as these shores they were for the most part doubling on 
the track of his last return voyage. 

That return journey seems to have been accomphshed in com- 
parative ease and safety, the prevailing northwest winds speeding 
them on their way. But now the autumn sailing in the opposite 
direction is more tedious and difficult, encountering the same winds 
now adverse to their purpose. The ship on which they had em- 
barked had cleared for Adramyttium, its home port, lying on the 
western coast of Asia not far from Troy. And it is possible, a? 
some suppose, that it was Julius' original intention to go all the 

375 



XXVII: 9-13] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



way to Adramyttium, and thence cross over via Troy to Philippi, 
and go the rest of the journey by the Via Egnatia, — thus avoiding 
a long winter voyage. But for some reason, changing his plan, the 
centurion was obliged to transfer his prisoners to another vessel 
at Myra; and happily found one in port from Alexandria, whose 
destination was Italy, on which they continued their voyage. The 
captain of this vessel coasted along the southern shore of Lycia as 
far as Cnidus ; but here he encountered the strong northwest winds 
blowing down the ^Egean Sea, and was unable to make any head- 
way in a directly western course. So he turned his ship to the 
southwest, and sought the shelter of the lee shores of Crete. 

One bright spot is to be seen in this opening section of Luke's 
story of the voyage; — that is the centurion's courteous treatment 
of the apostle and his companions. At Sidon, Julius gave him 
permission to go ashore; and doubtless accompanied by Luke and 
Aristarchus, he visited the brethren, and was much refreshed. Very 
different would have been his experience, had he been in the hands 
of his embittered fellow-countrymen. But the kindness of friends 
could not make Paul's journey to Rome anything but a trial; and 
soon his faith and patience were to be sorely tested. 



2. Stormy weather, — vss. p-13. 

The navigation of the Mediterranean in Paul's day was sus- 
pended, in large measure, during the winter months, — the period 
of activity on the sea running from the middle of March to the 
middle of November. For coasting vessels it was regarded as 
venturesome as early as the autumnal equinox. The larger ships, 
engaged in the grain-carrying trade from Egypt to Italy, could 
ordinarily continue in business, with some risk indeed, till the close 
of navigation. 

Such was the vessel in which the centurion had chosen to 
convey his prisoners to Italy. But, even with so large a vessel, it 
required expert seamanship to carry it safely against the rising 
winds and turbulent seas. The captain was glad to take advantage 
of the sheltering shore of the large island of Crete : and, keeping 
close in shore, which he could safely do in a northwest wind, he 
brought his vessel to the indifferent harbor of Fair Havens. The 

376 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVH : 9-13 



question here arose whether to winter at Fair Havens, or try to 
sail forty miles further west, and take advantage of the more 
secure harbor of Phoenix. It was after the equinox, which that 
year occurred on the 24th of September; and they were justified 
in expecting an increasingly stormy season. Some, therefore, 
thought they should stay where they were, even though Fair 
Havens was not as commodious a haven as Phoenix. Of this num- 
ber was the prisoner Paul, who forewarned the authorities on 
board of the impending injury and loss. The prisoner had not yet 
gained that ascendancy over his fellow-voyagers which he acquired 
a few days later; and his judgment was overruled. He had prob- 
ably had more experience in the navigation of the eastern Mediter- 
ranean, with his many voyages and three shipwrecks, than any of 
them: but the captain carried Julius and the ship's officers with 
him in the determination to run the risk, and if possible reach 
Phoenix, where they would find a safe harbor in all kinds of 
weather. 'The port was formed by an island lying in front of it, 
and having two entrances looking respectively to the southeast and 
northeast." — (Lewin.) 

After some delay the wind came on to blow softly from the 
south. They yielded to its gentle solicitation, lifted their anchor, 
unfurled their sails, and pointed the vessel's prow into the western 
sea. It was a fatal decision. 



Verse 3. The character of Julius : — Compare the character of other Ro- 
man officers. — Vs. 21. Paul's friendly interest in the voyage and voyagers : — 
a prisoner would naturally be unconcerned and silent; not so the prisoner 
from Csesarea. 



General Reflections on the Voyage to Rome. 

1. The omissions and insertions of the inspired record are 
often inexplicable, but not accidental. The entire antediluvian his- 
tory is comprehended in one hundred and fifty verses ; and nearly 
half as many are taken up with the story of getting a wife for 
Isaac. Three verses tell the story of Paul's second visit to Europe ; 
and fifty-seven are needed for the record of this voyage from 
Csesarea to Puteoli. 

2. This voyage shows how truly and wonderfully, yet strangely, 

577 



XXVII : 14-38] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



God often answers prayer. For many years Paul had wanted to 
visit Rome : but it had never been in his thought to have his 
desire fulfilled at the expense of the Roman government. 

3. A sea voyage is often a revelation of character. We some- 
times think less of those with whom we have crossed the ocean than 
we did before the voyage. Paul grew constantly in the esteem and 
confidence of his fellow-voyagers from the beginning. 



Sub-section 2— The Tempest,— vss. 14-38. 

14 But, after no long time, there beat down from it a tempestuous wind, 
which is called Euraquilo : 15 and when the ship was caught, and it could 
not face the wind, we gave way to it, and were driven. 16 And, running 
under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able, with difficulty, to 
secure the boat: 17 and when they had hoisted it up, they used helps, under- 
girding the ship ; and, fearing lest they should be cast upon the Syrtis, they 
lowered the gear, and so were driven. 18 And, as we labored exceedingly 
with the storm, the next day they began to throw the freight overboard ; 19 
and the third day they cast out with their own hands the tackling of the 
ship. 20 And when neither sun nor stars shone upon us for many days, and 
no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was now taken 
away. 

21 And, when they had been long without food, then Paul stood forth 
in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and 
not have set sail from Crete, and have gotten this injury and loss. 22 And 
now I exhort you to be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of life 
among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an 
angel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve, 24 saying, Fear not, Paul ; 
thou must stand before Caesar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them that 
sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer : for I believe God, that 
it shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me. 26 But we must be cast 
upon a certain island. 

27 But, when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven to and 
fro in the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were 
drawing near to some country: 28 and they sounded, and found twenty 
fathoms ; and, after a little space, they sounded again, and found fifteen fath- 
oms. 29 And, fearing lest haply we should be cast ashore on the rocky 
ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for the day. 
30 And, as the sailors were seeking to flee out of the ship, and had lowered 
the boat into the sea, under color as though they would lay out anchors 
from the foreship, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers. Except 
these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 32 Then the soldiers cut away 
the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off. 

33 And, while day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take some 

378 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVH : 14-20 



food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that ye wait and continue fasting, 
having taken nothing. 34 Wherefore I beseech you to take some food: for 
this is for your safety : for there shall not a hair perish from the head of any 
of you. 35 And when he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks 
to God in the presence of all ; and he brake it and began to eat. 36 Then 
were they all of good cheer, and themselves also took food. 37 And we were 
in all in the ship two hundred, three score and sixteen souls. 38 And when 
they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into 
the sea. 



I. Fighting the storm, — vss. 14-20. 2. The apostle's encouragement, — vss. 
21-26. 3. Frustrating the sailors' scheme, — vss. 27-32. 4. Getting strength 
for the emergency, — vss. 33-38. 



I. Fighting the storm, — vss. 14-20. 

The gentle southern breeze seems to have lulled the sailors 
into a feehng of unvv^arranted security; and they coasted along 
through the quiet vv^aters, trailing the vessel's one boat behind them. 
Suddenly the scene changes. A tempestuous gale, — the Euraquilo, 
— sweeps down upon them from the mountain ranges of north- 
eastern Crete, as fiercely as the stormy winds rush down the wad- 
ies of Lebanon upon the low-lying sea of GaHlee. "The ship was 
caught, and could not face the wind," and so the navigators gave 
way to it, and were driven off their course toward the southwest. 
This soon brought them under the lee shores of Cauda, or Clauda, 
as the little island is variously named. Here, taking advantage of 
the quieter waters, they hoisted the boat on board; and passing 
cables around the hull of the ship to strengthen it against the 
wrenchings of the tempest, they made all possible preparations for 
weathering the gale. They were fearful lest the northeast wind 
should blow them over into the shallow waters of Africa's sandy 
shore : but the utmost they could do was, with storm-sail set, to 
keep the vessel scudding before the tempest in a more westerly 
course. Meanwhile, that the ship might not sit so low in the sea, 
they began to throw overboard the freight and useless tackling. 
But, with all their efforts, beneath the darkening skies, with no sun 
nor star to show them whither they were being driven, all hope of 
being finally saved was taken away. 

379 



XXVII: 21-26] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Vss. 14-26. In the Tempest. 



I. 
11. 
III. 



Man's vain efforts. 

The hopeless look to the dark skies. 

The confident look beyond the stars. 



Vs. 20. Wrecked^ But Not Reckless. 



The cry of a despairing soul. 
1. Sometimes we have been glad to hear that cry. 
II. Sometimes we have greatly deplored it. 
III. Sometimes we have sympathized with it. 

{Spurgeon, Rev. Charles H.) 



The awful distress and panicky condition of the nearly three 
hundred people on board can be imagined perhaps: who could 
describe it? Not less difficult would it be to express the effect of 
the Roman prisoner's words, and the Divine assurance of deliver- 
ance which came from his lips. 

It is certainly an impressive picture which Luke sketches for 
us, in which Paul stands before that despairing company in the 
serenity of an unfaltering faith in the God of the sea and the 
storm, — the God to whom he belonged and whom he served, with 
the assurance that not one of them should perish, though the cav- 
erns of the deep seemed yawning to engulf them at any moment. 
Reminding them that they had brought this trouble upon them- 
selves, he bids them, nevertheless, to be of good cheer, — "For there 
stood by me this night an angel of the God whose I am, whom also 
I serve, saying, 'Fear not Paul; thou must stand before Caesar: 
and lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee.' Where- 
fore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it shall be even 
so as it hath been spoken unto me." 



Vs. 29. Life a Voyage. 




of the voyage. 



{The Homilist.) 



2. The apostle's encouragement, — vss. 21-26. 



3S6 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVH : 23-25 

( 

Verse 24. Paul's life on board was manifestly one of prayer: and his 
prayers were not for himself alone, but for his fellow-voyagers. 

Vs. 23. Relationship and Service. 

I. Whose I am. 
II. Whom I serve. 
III. This is the Divine order. 

Vss. 24-25. Paul's Short Creed. 

"I believe God," — What it involved? — 
I. Confidence in God's care. 

II. Trust in God's promise. 

III. Assurance of answered prayer. 

Vss. 23-24. Paul's Fifth Vision. 
I. Paul as the teacher of Providence. 

II. Paul as the servant of Divine Providence. — {The Homilist.) 

Vs. 23. God's True Servants. 

I. Their essential character. 
II. Their high privilege. 

III. Their social value. — (The Homilist.) 

Vss. 23-24. Providence. 

I. Providence will always accomplish its designs. 
II. Frequently by unexpected and unlikely means. 

III. Faith in Providence, instead of suppressing, will stimulate to exertion. 

(The Homilist.) 

Vs. 23. The Christian Man God's Property and God's Servant. 

I. God's property. 

(1) By creation. 

(2) By sustenance. 

(3) By redemption. 
II. God's servant. 

(1) This service deep enough to control all our being. 

(2) Abiding enough to continue through all our history. 

(3) Comprehensive enough to include all our life. 

(The Homilist.) 



381 



XXVII: 27-32] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

Vss. 6-44. The Voyage of Life. 

In the voyage of life we have a great variety in our contemporaries. 
In the voyage of life the severest trials are common to all. 
In the voyage of life special communications from God are mercifully 
vouchsafed. 

In the voyage of life one morally great man, however poor, is of im- 
mense service to his contemporaries. — (The Homilist.) 

Vs. 24. Paul and Nero. 
The contrast in their positions. 

The contrast as to their intellectual endowments and accomplishments. 
The contrast as to their affectional natures. 
The contrast as to their views of life and ambitions. 
The chief difference between Paul and Nero was in their religious 

views and experiences. 
The contrast in their conduct in facing death. 

{Cohern, Rev. Dr. C. M.) 



3. Frustrating the sailors' scheme, — vss. 22-^2. 

For two weeks they were driven before the tempest. It was 
a fortnight of unalleviated anxiety. But at last to the experienced 
judgment of the sailors their affairs were coming to a crisis. Their 
quickened senses detected signs of their nearing land, and this was 
confirmed by the soundings. It is now believed that the vessel was 
being driven into what in our time is known as St. Paul's Bay in 
the island of Malta. On the south side of this bay a long ledge 
of rocks runs out toward the east. It is thought that the sharp ears 
of the sailors caught the faint sound of the distant breakers beating 
on these rocks, inaudible though it was to a landsman's ears, because 
borne away by the wind that was driving them forward. Whatever 
it was, the time for action had come. To keep the vessel from 
being driven on the rocky shore, they cast out four anchors from 
the stern. To drop them from the bow would have swung the ship 
around with danger of swamping it, or of bringing the stern upon 
the hidden ledge. Then, making believe that an anchor from the 
bow, the common place from which to cast anchors, would steady 

382 



I. 
11. 
III. 

IV. 



I. 

II. 
III. 
IV 

V. 



VI. 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVai : 33-38 



the ship if carried far enough forward, the sailors prepared to 
lower the boat so as to carry the anchor out some distance ahead. 
They really meant, under cover of this device, to abandon the ship 
and reach the shore in the boat. Paul's eye was quick enough to 
see through this sinister design; and he disclosed it to the cen- 
turion, at whose command the soldiers cut the boat adrift. The 
sailors were then obliged to make common cause with their fellow- 
voyagers, and immediately set to work in the endeavor to beach the 
vessel on some sandy shore. All this occurred during the fourteenth 
night since they left the harbor of Fair Havens. During all this 
time, so great had been their anxiety and absorption in the perils 
of their situation, none of them had eaten any food. 



Vs. 31. The Use of Means in God's Plans. 

I. The safety of all on board had been guaranteed by the Divine promise. 
II, If the sailors abandoned the ship the whole company would be lost. 



4. Getting strength for the emergency, — vss. 33-38. 

With the breaking of the day, it was evident to all that the 
critical moment had come; and while the land was in sight every 
one would need special strength if he would escape alive. Then 
Paul stood forth again, the God-appointed leader, though a pris- 
oner. What he had told them days ago was being fulfilled; and, 
renewing the assurance of the ultimate safety of all in the vessel, he 
exhorts them to use the means in their power necessary for secur- 
ing that safety by strengthening their bodies with food. Then he 
himself set the example, and when "he had taken bread, he gave 
thanks to God in the presence of all; and he brake it and began 
to eat." 

Paul's example was contagious. The ship's company were 
cheered by his words and deeds, and began to eat, while the storm 
still beat upon them, and while happily the anchors continued to 
hold. Two hundred and seventy-six people took part in this final 
meal. They were abundantly fed, and made ready for the emer- 
gency which was now upon them. 

383 



XXVII :39-4o] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Verse 35. Faith is the spring of cheerfulness. — Vs. 35. Thanksgiving is 
possible under all circumstances. — Vs. 36. The contagion of an unwavering 
faith. 



Sub-section 3. — The Wreck, — vss. 39-44. 

39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they perceived a 
certain bay with a beach, and they took counsel whether they could drive the 
ship upon it. 40 And, casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at 
the same time loosing the bands of the rudders ; and, hoisting up the foresail 
to the wind, they made for the beach. 

41 But, lighting upon a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel 
aground; and the foreship struck and remained unmovable, but the stern be- 
gan to break up by the violence of the waves. 42 And the soldiers' counsel 
was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape. 43 
But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stayed them from their purpose; 
and commanded that they who could swim should cast themselves overboard, 
and get first to the land ; 44 and the rest, some on planks, and some on other 
things from the ship. And so it came to pass, that they all escaped safe to 
the land. 



I. The ineffectual plan to beach the vessel, — vss. 39-40. 2. The breaking up 
of the ship, and the escape of all on board, — vss. 41-44. 



I. The ineffectual plan to beach the vessel, — vss. 39-40. 

The purpose of the sailors seemed to be now all that was left 
for them to do. As they neared the inner shores of the wide gulf, 
driven by the tempest, they discovered a smaller bay just before 
them, with a beach or sandy shore, into which it seemed entirely 
feasible to drive the prow of the vessel now disencumbered of all 
but its human freight. If they could do this, though the billows 
beat upon the rocks both to the right and to the left, it would be 
possible for all on board to step ashore with comparative ease and 
safety. So they cut the four anchors adrift, and loosed the rudder 
bands so that the two long oars (which served the purpose of 
rudders, one on each side of the stern, which had been lifted out 
of the way of the casting of the anchors) might be let down into 
the sea, and used to guide the ship on its final and perilous voyage. 
It was more perilous than they supposed. As they neared the 

384 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVH : 41-44 



shore the northern arm of the bay was seen to be an island, sepa- 
rated from the mainland by a narrow channel. Through this chan- 
nel the waters rushed to meet and clash with the stronger current 
setting in through the wider entrance. No steersman could hold 
the ship to a prescribed course in this conflict of opposing seas ; 
and, despite all efforts, before they could reach the shore, the 
vessel's prow seems to have stuck in a bank of mud, while the 
stern was at the mercy of the raging floods. 



2. The breaking up of the ship, and the escape of all on hoard, — 

vss. 41-44. 

The end soon came. The vessel had been under a tremendous 
strain, driven before the tempest for over five hundred miles, and 
was well-nigh ready to fall to pieces, notwithstanding the sailors' 
undergirding, which was useless so long as the mainmast remained 
to serve as a lever to pry open the timbers of the center. And 
under the merciless beating of the waves the entire vessel soon 
went to pieces. 

The soldiers, true to their bloody vocation, or perhaps knowing 
that they would have to answer with their own lives for the 
escape of any committed to their trust, were minded to kill their 
prisoners. But the centurion was more humane than his sub- 
ordinates ; and he was particularly desirous to save Paul, for whom 
he had come to entertain the highest regard. He was willing, 
therefore, to take the risk of any getting away, and kept the sol- 
diers from their barbarous purpose, and ''commanded that they who 
could swim should cast themselves overboard, and get first to the 
land, and the rest, some on planks, and some on other things from 
the ship. And so it came to pass that they all escaped safe to land." 



Verses 39-41. Human effort often fails; God's plan never does. — ^Vs, 43. 
The risks of humane feelings and counsels : Julius would spare the lives of his 
prisoners, even if his own should be the forfeit. 



38s 



XXVIII : 1-6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Sub-section 4. — The Stay in Malta, — vss. 28:1-10. 

I And when we were escaped, then we knew that the island was called 
Melita. 2 And the barbarians showed us no common kindness; for they 
kindled a fire, and received us all, because of the present rain, and because of 
the cold. 3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them 
on the fire, a viper came out by reason of the heat, and fastened on his hand. 
4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous creature hanging from his 
hand, they said one to another, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, 
though he hath escaped the sea, yet Justice hath not suffered to live. 5 How- 
beit he shook off the creature into the fire and took no harm. 6 But they 
expected that he would have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly: but 
when they were long in expectation and beheld nothing amiss come to him, 
they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. 

7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the 
chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us, and entertained us 
three days courteously. 8 And it v/as so, that the father of Publius lay sick 
of fever and dysentery: unto whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and, laying 
his hands on him, healed him. 9 And, when this was done, the rest also 
that had diseases in the island came, and were cured; 10 who also honored 
us with many honors; and when we sailed, they put on board such things as 
we needed. 



I. Paul and the Maltese, — vss. 1-6. 2. Paul and Publius, — vss. 7-10. 



I. Paul and the Maltese, — vss, 1-6. 

This, Paul's fourth shipwreck, seems to have occurred in the 
latter part of October. It was winter ; and the voyagers, escaping 
the buffetings of the sea, must have suffered intensely from the 
cold. The islanders were a hospitable people and showed the cast- 
a-ways no little kindness, and, first of all, kindled fires because of 
the cold and the rain. Doubtless all hands were busy gathering fuel 
for the flames; and Paul was not behind the rest. In the bundle 
of sticks he gathered lay a viper, torpid from the cold, which was 
warmed to life by the heat of the fire, and fastened its deadly fangs 
upon Paul's hand. The natives knew the venomous character of 
the serpent, and confidently believed the apostle was a doomed man. 
No doubt he was a criminal, and though the waves had spared 
him, the avenger was still on his track, and Justice would not 

386 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVHI : 7-10 



suffer him to live. But Paul was under the protection of the risen 
Saviour's promise (Mark 16:18), and shook off the viper into the 
fire, and suffered no harm. It was a marvel to the onlookers, and 
when they saw that nothing amiss came to him, whereas they 
expected to see him fall down dead, they changed their minds and 
proclaimed him a god. 



Verse 2. The effectual appeal of distress, — Vs. 4. Hasty judgments are 
likely to be unjust. — Vs. 4. The universal belief in Nemesis. 



2. Paul and Puhlius, — vss. j-io. 

At the time of this shipwreck the island of Malta was under 
the jurisdiction of the Propraetor of Sicily, and was under the 
immediate control of his deputy, who was called the 'Trimate of 
the Maltese." Luke calls him the "chief man of the island." His 
name was Publius. Following the dictates of his humane nature, 
he shared the hospitable instincts of his people, and received and 
entertained the shipwrecked company with great courtesy. The 
cast-a-ways had naught with which to repay this universal kindness ; 
but the centurion's prisoner was able to give the governor such 
return as he could have obtained nowhere else. The sick father is 
healed with prayer and the laying on of the apostle's hands. Nor 
does the benign recompense end in the governor's household. "All 
that had diseases in the island came, and were cured." In this way 
God honored His servant, and made provision for his wants, and 
for all his fellow-voyagers. So, when they sailed away from Malta, 
they went on board with an abundant supply of all necessary things. 
It was a wonderful experience, that three months' sojourn among 
them of Paul and his Rome-ward bound fellow-travelers. They 
honored the sojourners with many honors: and doubtless the seed 
of the Gospel planted in that island-home soon grew into a living 
Church of the risen Nazarene. "Indeed, if we may believe the 
ancient martyrologies, Publius himself became a convert, and was 
the first bishop of Malta." — (Lewin.) 



Verse 7. The character and conduct of Publius, — another Roman officer 
of good repute. — ^Vss. 9-10. The ministry of healing then as now effectual in 
opening human hearts. 

387 



XXVIII: I I-I3] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Sub-section 5. — The arrival in Rome, — vss. 11-16. 

II And after three months we set sail in a ship of Alexandria, which had 
wintered in the island, whose sign was The Twin Brothers. 12 And, touch- 
ing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. 13 And from thence we made a 
circuit, and arrived at Rhegium : and after one day a south wind sprang up, 
and on the second day we came to Puteoli ; 14 where we found brethren, 
and were entreated to tarry with them seven days , and so we came to 
Rome. 15 And from thence the brethren, when they heard of us, came to 
meet us as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Taverns ; whom 
when Paul saw, he thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we en- 
tered into Rome, Paul was suffered to abide by himself with the soldier that 
guarded him. 



I. The voyage from Malta, — vss. 11-13, 2. The land journey to Rome, — 
vss. 14-16. 



I. The Voyage from Malta, — vss. 11-13. 

The short winter of southern Italy was soon over, and after 
three months' sojourn in Malta, it was possible to resume the jour- 
ney by sea with entire safety. It was probably early in February 
that Julius took passage for his prisoners and soldiers in another 
grain-vessel from Alexandria, bound for Puteoli in the bay of 
Naples, the usual landing-place for such merchandise destined 
for Rome. The ship, Luke tells us, bore the sign of the ''Dioscuri," 
— "The Twin Brothers," — "Castor and Pollux," — the tutelary di- 
vinities of mariners. 

A straight course a little east of north, of one hundred miles, 
brought them to Syracuse, the famous capital of Sicily, fallen from 
its ancient glory, but even in that day a large and flourishing 
commercial emporium. Here they tarried for three days, probably 
for purposes of trade, or possibly waiting for a favorable wind 
which should carry them safely through the straits of Messina. 
Sailing from Syracuse they were obliged to "fetch a compass" or 
make a circuit, in reaching Rhegium, the modern Reggio, the 
present capital of Calabria. This was probably to take advantage 
of the western winds, from which they were cut off at Syracuse 
by the high range of which Mt. iEtna is a part. 

388 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVHI : 14-16 

Remaining one day at Rhegium for a change of wind, they were 
soon favored with one from the south, which blew them through 
the famous strait, and safely past both Scylla and Charybdis, and 
carried them speedily onward over the one hundred and eighty-two 
miles from Rhegium to Puteoli, the destination of the vessel, and 
the end of the apostle's memorable voyage. 



Verse 11. Not Castor and Pollux, but the God of the apostle, brought 
the second grain-ship to renowned Syracuse, through Scylla and Charybdis, 
and to beauteous Puteoli. 



2. The land-journey to Rome, — vss. 14-16. 

The landing at Puteoli brought Paul into Italy, — the Italy he 
had longed to visit, — and at the most beauteous portion of its 
shores. To the left of the pier, on which he landed, lay the beau- 
tiful Baise, the famous seaside resort of the grandees of Rome, 
while on the right and around the promontory that separated this 
small bay from the larger one of Naples, of which it formed a 
part, towered Vesuvius, and at its base nestled the charming but 
wicked Pompeii, in less than twenty years doomed to an over- 
whelming destruction. 

But Paul was most interested in the little company of believers, 
whom he found in Puteoli. Yielding to their solicitations, and 
with the consent of the kind-hearted Julius, he tarried with them 
seven days. We may well believe that during this period messen- 
gers were sent forward to Rome, to announce the coming of the 
Church's great leader. 

Then began, probably in February, the slow journey of one 
hundred and forty-one miles to the Imperial Capital. Thirty-three 
miles from Puteoli they reached the famous Appian Way, on which 
they traveled the rest of the journey, with a possible use of the 
canal from Terrecina to Appii-Forum. About sixty miles further 
on they came to the Forum or Market of Appius. Here a company 
of Christians from Rome met the great apostle; and at the Three 
Taverns, ten miles nearer the city, another company joined them. 
And when Paul "saw them he thanked God, and took courage." 
His heart was touched by this evidence of the interest and devotion 

389 



XXVIII :i4-i6] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 

of brethren, many of whose faces probably he had never seen in 
the flesh. 

So he girded himself anew with strength for that last thirty- 
eight miles; and, entering the city by the Porta Capena, "so," says 
Luke, ''we came to Rome," — not as Paul had planned, but as Paul's 
gracious Master had willed. The hand that had led him all the way 
led him still; and under Divine guidance Julius consigned his pris- 
oner to the custody of the kind-hearted Burrhus, the Prefect of the 
Praetorian Guard, by whom 'Taul was suffered to abide by himself, 
with the soldier that guarded him." 



Vs. 14. "And so We Came to Rome.'" 

I. Life on shipboard. 
11. Life in Malta. 
IIL Life on the Appian Way. 



Vs. 14. Providence in Paul's Life. 

I. We have here the accomplishment of a long-cherished purpose. 
II. It was a purpose accomplished in a very different way from what Paul 
expected. 

in. Paul's entrance into Rome accomplished really all that he desired. 

(Taylor, Rev. Dr. William M.) 



Vs. 14. Going to Rome. 

I. God's way often not our way. 

II. Difficulties safely passed over. 

III. Gratitude for present mercies. 

IV. Doing good under adverse circumstances. 



Vs. 15. SOUL-INSPIRATION FROM HuMAN SYMPATHY. 

1. God's sympathy manifested through man's. 
II. The less may strengthen and inspire the greater. — (The Homilist.) 



Vs. 15. The Meeting at Appii-forum. 

I. Paul regarded it as an expression of the sympathy of the Christian 
Church in Rome. 
II. He regarded it as a token of God's providential care. 
III. He regarded it as prophetic of the universal triumph of Christianity. 

(The Homilist.) 

390 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVHI : 17-31 



Section 9. — Life in Rome, — vss. 17-31. 

17 And it came to pass, that, after three days he called together those 
that were the chief of the Jews; and, when they were come together, he 
said unto them, I, brethren, though I had done nothing against the people, 
or the customs of our fathers, yet was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into 
the hands of the Roman: 18 who, when they had examined me, desired to 
set me at liberty, because there was no cause of death in me. 19 But when 
the Jews spake against it I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that 
I had aught whereof to accuse my nation. 20 For this cause therefore did I 
entreat you to see and to speak with me : for because of the hope of Israel I 
am bound with this chain. 21 And they said unto him, We neither received 
letters from Judea concerning thee, nor did any of the brethren come hither 
and report or speak any harm of thee. 22 But we desire to hear of thee 
what thou thinkest : for, as concerning this sect, it is known to us that every- 
where it is spoken against. 

23 And, when they had appointed him a day, they came to him into his 
lodging in great number; to whom he expounded the matter, testifying the 
kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law 
of Moses and from the prophets, from morning till evening. 24 And some 
believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. 25 And when 
they agreed not among themselves, they departed after that Paul had spoken 
one word, Well spake the Holy Spirit through Isaiah, the prophet, unto your 
fathers, 26 saying, 

Go thou unto this people, and say, 

By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand ; 
And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive : 

27 For this people's heart is waxed gross, 
And their ears are dull of hearing. 
And their eyes they have closed; 

Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, 

And hear with their ears. 

And understand with their heart, 

And should turn again. 

And I should heal them. 

28 Be it known therefore unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto 
the Gentiles: they will also hear. 

30 And he abode two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and re- 
ceived all that went in unto him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God, and teach- 
ing the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, none for- 
bidding him. 

I. A general survey of the situation, — vss. 17-31. 2. Paul's preliminary in- 
terview with the chief Jews of Rome, — vss. 17-22. 3. The apostle's formal 
address to his countrymen, — vss. 23-28. 4. Paul's two years' private min- 
istry in Rome, — vss. 30-31. 

391 



XXVIII: 19-31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



I. A general survey of the situation, — vss. 17-31. 

If the chronology we have been following be correct (and at 
the utmost it can hardly be more than a year or two amiss), Paul 
reached Rome in the early spring of A. D. 61. Five years later 
the war broke out which filled Palestine with blood and mourning; 
and in three years more it ended in the overthrow of Jerusalem, 
and the utter extinction of the Jewish nationality. Even while 
Paul was yet a prisoner in Csesarea, there were many indications 
of the impending conflict. The fanaticism of the Jews was bring- 
ing them into frequent collisions with their Roman rulers. 

In Rome itself the affairs of the rising faith had not yet reached 
their lowest and darkest culmination. Christianity had not yet, in 
the estimation of the ruling powers, become differentiated from 
the ancient faith of the Jewish people, and so far had escaped being 
branded as a ''religio illicita," — an unlawful religion. Nero was 
on the throne, a young man not yet thirty years of age. He was 
under the influence of the humane Burrhus, Prefect of the Prae- 
torians, and of the philosopher Seneca ; and was yet to develop into 
that monster of cruelty and lust, which he became after the death 
of Seneca, and when the infamous Tigellinus had succeeded Bur- 
rhus in the Prefecture of the Guards. Paul, therefore, was treated 
with great kindness and consideration, and had reason to hope that, 
whether his Jewish enemies appeared against him or not, he would 
be ultimately acquitted and released. 



2. Paul's preliminary interview with the chief Jews of Rome, — 

vss. 17-22. 

It was just in this juncture of affairs that the apostle was 
brought to Rome. Two companies of his fellow-disciples had met 
him en route; and doubtless in the city itself there was ready to 
greet him a larger number of those to whom he had written from 
Corinth three years before that masterpiece of inspired literature, 
known to us as "The Epistle to the Romans." But Paul's first 
thought, as he treads the streets of the great metropolis, is of his 
fellow-countrymen. And so, three days after his long journey is 

392 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVUI : 23-38 



ended, he sends for the heads of the House of Israel, to bring to 
them the glad tidings which he had proclaimed elsewhere. To dis- 
arm their prejudices, and conciliate their favor, he rehearses the 
story of his arrest and imprisonment, declaring to them, — as he 
had done to Agrippa, that for "the hope of Israel" he was a pris- 
oner in chains; — *T, brethren, though I had done nothing against 
the people, or the customs of our fathers, yet was delivered prisoner 
from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans : who, when they 
had examined me, desired to set me at liberty, because there was 
no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, I 
was constrained to appeal unto Caesar ; not that I had aught whereof 
to accuse my nation. For this cause therefore did I entreat you 
to see and to speak with me: for because of the hope of Israel I 
am bound with this chain." 

By these conciliatory words Paul gained the end he desired, 
an interested hearing. The Roman Jews had not heard anything 
about him either from letters or visitors, — which fact was prob- 
ably due to Paul's case being lost sight of during his two years' 
detention in Csesarea, and the absorption of his enemies in the 
critical af¥airs of their people in Palestine. "But," said they, "we 
desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this 
sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against." So, 
on the appointed day, they gathered in great numbers to his lodgings 
to hear him. 



3. The apostle's formal address to his countrymen, — vss. 2^-28. 

Luke's narrative gives us in briefest lines a deeply interesting 
and pathetic picture of the veteran missionary, seated among his 
Hebrew kindred, with the scroll of the Old Testament evidently 
open upon his knee, and with them searching and finding in it the 
story of Redeeming Mercy. 

In this last and solemn ministry to those, for whose salvation 
he had so recently written to Rome that he was filled with intensest 
longing, and could wish himself anathema from Christ, he is led 
along the two great lines of thought on which he had been accus- 
tomed to dwell in the synagogues of the Dispersion. He first of all 
"testifies the kingdom of God," — manifestly explaining the true 
nature of the Messianic realm. That Messiah was to reign over a 

393 



XXVIII : 23-38] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



redeemed humanity. They were not mistaken in expecting that 
their promised Messiah would sit upon the throne of David. But 
he was to reach that throne by the way of the Cross; — this they 
had overlooked. The Messiah's death and resurrection were to 
precede his exaltation. 

The apostle now seeks ''to persuade" his Jewish brethren "con- 
cerning Jesus," and to convince them by the testimony of the wit- 
nesses that He was their long-looked-for Messiah, and that He had 
fulfilled in every way their ow^n prophetic Scriptures. In setting 
forth this part of his theme, the apostle would necessarily dwell 
upon the salient features of the life of Jesus and the story of his 
ministry. So he had done in other places : and here he rehearses 
what to many of his hearers may have been a familiar story. And 
doubtless he placed special emphasis upon the suggestive accord 
of the life and work of the Nazarene with the prophecies of their 
revered Sacred Writings. 

That they might see the confirmation of this testimony he turned 
then to those Scriptures, and brought their cogent message to his 
countrymen "from the law of Moses," and "from the prophets," — 
so earnest and thorough his search of the Sacred Oracles, that, well- 
nigh from dawn to dark, his message fell upon the ears of his 
brethren. 

Shall we be guilty of irreverence if we endeavor to traverse 
some of the lines of the apostle's thought? We may not, indeed, 
undertake to say what Paul said, but may be reasonably sure that 
no discussion of such a theme by such a man could have passed 
by the great chain of Messianic Scriptures, on which we rest to-day. 
Beginning with the protevangelium of Eden (Gen. 3:15), and 
dwelling on the promised Shiloh of the dying prophet-patriarch 
(Gen. 49:10), and Balaam's "Star out of Jacob" (Num. 24:17), he 
would surely light on the text cited both by Peter (Acts 3 '.22) and 
Stephen (Acts y'.Z7)^ concerning the prophet like unto Moses, who 
was to arise from the bosom of Israel to teach them the way of 
the Lord, and whom they were enjoined to obey (Deut. 18:18-19). 

Was this all that Paul could find in the law of Moses to sup- 
port his case? If so, then surely his argument was inconclusive! 
The very soul of his contention must have been, as he declared 
before Agrippa, and in divers other places, that the Messiah was 
to be a suflferer. He was to come as a sacrifice for sin, — to die, and 

394 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVHI : 23-38 



then to rise again. Would he not then turn to that ancient sacri- 
ficial system; and find in the very Tabernacle itself a shadow and 
type of God dwelling in the midst of His people, — of Christ as ''the 
light of the world/' and ''the bread of life," and "the mercy-seat" 
of His people, bloodsprinkled and glory-crowned, before which in 
the Holy of Holies the accepted worshipper, saved by blood, may 
henceforth safely bow ? Would he not find, as John the Baptist had 
found, in the lamb of the daily oblation, and in the Paschal Lamb, 
a type of the "Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world." 
Could he fail to remind them of the double sacrifice of the two 
birds, in the cleansing of the leper, where one rises from the very 
embrace of a bloody death, to fly away on joyful wing into the 
free air of heaven, — the offering in its entirety a suggestive and 
beautiful type of Him who died a bloody death, but rose a living 
messenger of life and salvation ? Ah ! how that old and seemingly 
dead law of Moses, to which they so fondly clung, must have burned 
and glowed with supernal fires, as the earnest and eloquent preacher 
collated its testimony to the Messiahship, and death and resurrec- 
tion of the lowly Nazarene! 

But Paul was only half-done. He turns now from "the law of 
Moses" to "the prophets," and finds in them also conclusive evi- 
dence of the two great truths which he was teaching. 

Jesus of Nazareth was born in the midst of supernatural cir- 
cumstances in Bethlehem of Judea, according to their own prophet 
Micah (5:2). Through Him a fountain had been opened to the 
house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and 
uncleanness, as had been foretold by their own Zechariah (13:1). 
It was Jesus the Christ of whom Isaiah spake, — "Surely He hath 
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." . . . "He was wounded 
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities; the 
chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are 
healed." . . . "He was cut off out of the land of the living for the 
transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due. And they 
made His grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His 
death." (53-4-5 and 8-9.) 

But it was this same Jesus the Christ, of whom David sang, — 
"Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; neither wilt Thou suffer 
Thy Holy One to see corruption," (Psalm 16:10). And the song 
of Isaiah (9:6) has the same theme, as, in numbers so combined 

395 



XXVIII: 23-31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



and glorified in Handel's matchless oratorio, he sings, "Unto us a 
child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be 
upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, 
Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." 

We cannot affirm that this was the precise line of thought pur- 
sued by the apostle; but we may be reasonably sure that sub- 
stantially these Scriptures were among those on which he dwelt, 
as, tracing the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, he went 
down with Him to the shadows of Gethsemane, and the darkness 
of the rock-hewn sepulchre, and rose with Him triumphant to the 
heights of life to die no more. 

The argument must have grown under the master's hand to an 
overwhelming climax of persuasive and convincing power. There 
can hardly be a doubt that Paul himself felt that it was well-nigh 
irresistible, and that, if his Jewish kindred rejected it, they would 
be left absolutely without excuse. And hence the awfully stern and 
solemn yet inexpressibly sad words with which, from Isaiah's 
prophecies, he turns henceforth to the Gentiles. Some went forth 
from the prisoner's lodging, in the gloaming of that spring-time 
evening, believing; but others, and probably the larger number, 
continued unbelieving and disobedient, to whom Paul said, — "Well 
spake the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the prophet unto your 
fathers, — 

'Go thou unto this people and say, 

By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; 

And seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive : 

For this people's heart is waxed gross, 

And their ears are dull of hearing, 

And their eyes they have closed; 

Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, 

And hear with their ears, 

And understand with their hearts. 

And should turn again, 

And I should heal them.' 

Be it known, therefore, unto you that this salvation of God is sent 
unto the Gentiles : they will also hear." 

Before the devotees of the synagogue in Corinth, and the Coun- 
cil in Jerusalem, and now to the Jews in Rome, Paul speaks his last 
and ineffectual words; and there is a pathetic sadness in his final 

396 



UNTO THE UTTERMOST PART OF EARTH [XXVHI : 23-31 



utterance here and there. He knew and had written that ''a harden- 
ing in part had befallen Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles 
were come in." But he sorrowed, nevertheless, over the judicial 
blinding of so many of his kindred. And doubtless in this parting 
interview his great soul bows in the overwhelming grief, to which 
he had given expression three years before in his letter to the 
Church in Rome, — 'T have great sorrow and unceasing pain in 
my heart; for I could wish that I were anathema from Christ for 
my brethren's sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are 
Israelites; whose is the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants 
and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the 
promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as con- 
cerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever, Amen." 



4. Paul's two years' private ministry in Rome, — vss. 30-31. 

Luke's narrative closes abruptly, — no one can say why. The 
apostle continued his ministry in Rome, but no more to his Hebrew 
kindred. For two years he awaited the adjudication of his cause. 
The result of the final hearing on his appeal is not certainly known. 
Many things lead us to believe that Paul was acquitted and set 
free, and this is the all but universal judgment of those who have 
examined the matter. But what is written alone remains, and this 
is the annalist's record, — *'And he abode two whole years in his 
own hired dwelling, and received all that went in unto him, preach- 
ing the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the 
Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, none forbidding him." 



Verse 17. "To the Jew first" was the rule of Paul's ministry, though he 
had been commissioned the apostle to the Gentiles. — Vs. 20. "The hope of 
Israel" was greatly misunderstood by Israel, but was, nevertheless, a precious 
reality. — Vs. 23. There were two great ideas in all Paul's preaching, espe- 
cially to his Jewish kindred, as appears at Antioch, in Pisidia (13:32-38), — 
at Thessalonica (17:3), — at Rome (28:23), — and in his prison life (28:31) ; — 
these were: (i) The true nature of Messiah's kingdom, as involving the 
Cross before the Crown, — and (2) That Jesus of Nazareth was the prophe- 
sied Messiah. 



397 



XXVIII: 31] THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES 



Concluding Corollaries. 

1. A sane and reverent interpretation of the Acts of the 
Apostles, as a record of testimony no less than a story of deeds, 
demonstrates the crowning place which the resurrection of Christ, — 
the fact itself, and its manifest relations and consequences, — holds 
in the Christian system. If this is gone, all is gone. "If Christ hath 
not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith is also vain." 

2. The illumination of the Old Testament Scriptures furnished 
by this interpretation of Paul's ministry is immensely clarifying and 
of well-nigh infinite value. It is impossible to understand and 
properly appreciate ''The Testimony of the Witnesses," and espe- 
cially "The Testimony of Paul the Prisoner," as given in the Acts 
of the Apostles, and put the Old Testament on the back shelf. 

398 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: June 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 
(724) 779-2111 



0 014 500 020 8 



